


Darkness Within

by shim_loul



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2020-10-17 17:49:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20625068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shim_loul/pseuds/shim_loul
Summary: Recurring demon attacks, mundanes turned into Downworlders, Prince of Hell on the loose, a Shadowhunter not so Shadowhunter-y. Just a normal adventure at the New-York Institute.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this fanfiction for months; however, please take into account that I am no a natural English speaker and there might be a few mistakes in my work. Let me know what you think about it.

Chapter One.

She walked through the door as if it were her first time there. Of course, it wasn’t, she’d been here hundreds of times -hell, even thousands of times. For some reason, however, it all felt new. She already knew everything and everyone, and somehow, she had to learn it all over again. The girl was under the impression she was walking into someone else’s shoes. All eyes were on her, with smiles and all kinds of happy words. She would answer with “thank you” and a nod, but it didn’t feel right. Once thing felt right, though, the blond guy proudly standing up against a table, waiting for her. Before she could reach him and feel some sense of relief and belonging, a girl was hanging on her neck. She hugged the girl back without really knowing what she was doing. That felt right too, as if she was in her right place. The girl finally let her go, crying about how happy she was to have her back, but the other had no chance to move as someone else was already giving her another hug. Those arms she knew, she remembered, and she felt herself at that moment.

“Simon” she simply said in a breath, trying to hold back her tears.

“Fray. I hated going through your birthday without you” said the vampire, scoffing. “You really remember everything?” he asked, taking her face in his hands, looking into her eyes as if they were sharing their happiness.

“I guess so, yes. I can’t believe you actually became a vampire. This is crazy, I almost can’t believe it’s all true, you know. Monsters, werewolves, vampires, demons… Lilith?!” they laughed it out together through the tears that were falling down their cheeks. “And, I am a Shadowhunter, supposed to chased that all down and make things right in the world, right? Who could have guessed?” 

Every face in the room was full of joy. Even from people Clary had never met -actually never met, not that she didn’t remember. All of her memories were back, at least it felt like it, but it was like another lifetime. Someone else came straight to her, and she opened her arms to give another hug.

“It’s nice to see you here, biscuit. I really thought we had seen the last of you. As a Shadowhunter, that is” he gladly hugged the girl back, smiling as everyone else.

“I’m happy to see you as well, Magnus. I’m almost sorry I actually forgot about you. Also, I’m sorry it had to happen during your wedding… I hope everything went well.”

“It went well enough” replied Alec, stripping his boyfriend away to take the girl in his arms for a split second “to be honest, you were yourself for the most part, so it was perfect if you ask me.”

“Good” answered Clary.

She had one more person to hug now. She had been hugging him for some time now, he was the whole reason why she remembered everything, or at least so she thought. After all, their love was stronger than any angelic magic. Slowly, she walked to him and cuddled into his arms, where she felt at home. It was, after, where she truly belonged. He hugged her tight, kissing her hair here and there. After a moment, they both let go.

“Welcome back home, Clary. A lot has changed, but you’ll get up to speed” said Izzy, unable to erase the smile on her face, she had finally found her sister back.

“Yeah, I heard you’re the head now! Congratulations. And Alec, Magnus and you are in Idris, aren’t you? Why are you here, anyway?” asked the red-haired, still standing by Jace.

“We came for you, of course, biscuit. We would’ve never missed your great come back, come on. I was thinking fireworks, but Alexander decided against it. You can come to Alicante very soon, I had it ready anyway” whispered Magnus, knowing perfectly that his husband could hear everything, but he winked at the girl and she couldn’t help but smile.

In the end, nothing had really changed. All was the same, except for her. She wanted to be here, more than anything. It was her life, where she felt whole, safe, and herself; but she wasn’t the same as before. The girl they all had known, it wasn’t her. Not anymore. She smiled through it, but she wasn’t fully comfortable. She had to connect back with her old life. Isabelle came close, taking her hands and looking straight at her.

“Listen to me, Clary, we will help you get back on your feet. For as long as you need, you will be trained to fight again, until you feel ready to go on the field. I’m sure Jace would be more than happy to work you out” she gave a look at her brother who was smiling back at her but looked at the ground.

More than anyone, Isabelle knew how it felt like needed to land back after getting out of something. People were the best aid Clary could get, and the Lightwood girl decided to do anything in her power to help her as much as humanly possible. She wasn’t going to let her down, not now and not ever. She stared back at Clary to make sure she understood her words came from her heart. The girl smiled back at Isabelle before frowning a little.

“Won’t you need him on missions?” asked Clary, surprised “I don’t want to keep your best Shadowhunter away from you” those words made everyone laugh.

“Yeah, he’s still our best soldier, but we’ve got good back up. You don’t know everyone but let me introduce you to one of our new members, and she’s taken Jace down at least twice.”

“Out of a hundred times” added Jace to make sure no one would believe he had lost his abilities.

Isabelle dragged Clary around the table as the red-haired kept her eyes on Jace. He was encouraging her, nodding to tell her it was alright. Clary didn’t really want to leave Jace’s side. She felt like being afar would make her forget again, she didn’t want her world to slip away one more time. The Lightwood girl had Clary’s hand in hers, and she only stopped when arriving in front of a complete stranger in the girl’s eyes. She was about her height, with bright silver eyes and dark hair, falling down her back. She was smiling at Isabelle, but she had no idea what was going on either. She was holding papers and had a pen stuck above her pierced ear. Something about her was confusing, extremely familiar to Clary, making her frown. She looked at her from head to toe. The new girl radiated such an energy, it was hard to pass by without noticing.

“Clary Fairchild meet our newest member, Alycia Cielli. She has come a couple of months ago, sent from Lyon’s Institute in France. She’s been doing an amazing work here.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Clary. I have heard a lot about you, if you don’t mind me saying. It’s a real honour.”

The girl nodded, not being able to give her hand out for Clary to shake. The red-haired smile and nodded too, before Izzy allowed the other one to leave, continuing her hard work. Isabelle watched her go, looking really happy. Everything seemed fine, here. Normal. Clary looked around, Jace and Simon both had their eyes stuck on her, Alec and Magnus were talking, probably about the fireworks, and pretty much everyone else was back to work. Maybe her comeback was an important thing, but the Shadowhunters were still restless and moving on wasn’t so hard on them. The red-haired girl felt the need to escape, but she didn’t want to just run outside as if fleeing. She gave a smile to everyone and locked her eyes on her best friend. If someone could get her out of that golden prison, it would be him. Of course, she felt home but it was all too much. She had to go out for some time, breathe and try to think all of it through. She had been trying to prepare herself for month, but the reality of it all happening was striking hard.

“Hey, Simon, I think I have some catching up to do… would you mind helping a best friend out?” she asked, advancing towards him.

“You know what, Fray? I know the perfect place. It’s called Taki’s, and there’s something for everyone there.”

Clary hugged Simon, laughing happily.

“We’ll have to go” said Alec, suddenly taking part to the conversation, “I apparently have fireworks to take care of, but mostly papers.”

“We will be back, though, do not worry yourselves. Or, maybe, you guys can come to us. We can make dinner! We should make dinner! Soon, I will take care of sending invitations.”

While Alec tried to talk, he opened a Portal leading straight to Alicante, where they lived. Magnus was High Warlock there, and his husband an Inquisitor. All was well. Clary smiled genuinely, seeing them so real and connected made her feel better, like anyone could belong with them. They were great. Soon enough, both of them left, and the Portal disappeared. Simon made a face and turned to Clary, offering her his hand for her to take. She grabbed it with a smile, letting him guide her towards the doors.

“Wait up, you guys!” called Isabelle before they could reach it “Simon, if you want to cancel our plans for tonight, I would totally understand…”

“You guys had plans?” questioned Clary, unaware.

“Yes, but it’s okay, you should spend some time with your best friend, Clary. Raphael contacted me, he’s in town for a few days, I’ll just go see him.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to keep your boyfriend…”

“It’s okay, Fray. I haven’t seen you in so much time. You know nothing, girl, I have so much to tell you. Plus, since Raphael isn’t a vampire anymore, I’m not too worried.”

“You better bring her back alive and well, Lewis, or I’ll have your head” threatened Jace, apparently quite serious.

Simon gave a look at Clary.

“We’re bros. Come on.”

Izzy and Clary laughed while Jace lifted his eyebrows, clearly not agreeing. He let them go anyway, happy to see his girlfriend back to being herself for the first time in ages. He knew how much it mattered to her to be around her best friend. Plus, he had been with her before that for quite some time, and it was only fair for other people that mattered to be with her as well.

Simon took Clary to the only place he actually felt best, Taki’s. It was Maia’s restaurant, and even though it used to be werewolves’ lair, it was now a safe place for every creature of the Shadow World. Clary felt at ease too, looking around her. It was her first own memory of this part of her life. She had never been here before, and she could discover it without anyone expecting her to know all there was. She smiled at her best friend, sipping her hot chocolate, waiting for him to start talking. However, he was just looking at her, a smile stuck on his face. He still hadn’t touched his glass of blood. He was just to scared to break eye contact, could she vanish again?

“So, what did I miss?”

Simon leant forward, ready to get into his speech.

“Well, first of all, of course, Alec becoming Inquisitor and moving to Alicante with Magnus; who is now High Warlock there, the first ever! Isabelle became Head of the New York Institute and as such, she’s not obliged to live in the Institute, you obviously see where this is going. She came to live with me in the apartment I previously shared with Jordan, who’s now dead because of silver poisoning, but that you knew. I’ve made her watch the entire Star Wars series, I’m not sure she actually watched it, I can’t remember when it ended… Anyway, what else? Raphael’s going to be a priest, soon enough, I suppose, he seems happy. Luke is doing great as a Shadowhunter, he’s on mission and that’s why he couldn’t come, but he’ll be home soon, and you’ll see him. Alec is giving him specific assignments, since he’s so good, you know. Maia’s here, being all Alpha, so powerful and great, and owning her very restaurant, I mean, amazing, right! What else happened?”

Clary listened carefully, trying to remember everything even though he was speaking quite fast. She knew him best; she could always keep up. By the end of his speech, she had drunk all of her hot chocolate. Arms crossed, she waited for something to come next, but Simon was slowly sipping his glass of blood looking like he had forgotten what to say. Clary scoffed, she couldn’t remember him for the past year, and yet she felt like she had missed him so much. Being around him made her feel so comfortable and genuinely good.

“So, what about the new girl?”

“Lili? I mean, Alycia. No, you know, she’s cool. Not a fuss happened at the Institute since she’s here, that’s a lot to say. Plus, Alec likes her, that’s even more impressive.”

“And, Jace?” asked Clary, hesitating a second.

“Yeah, he likes her too…” started the vampire before realising that wasn’t at all what she meant to talk about. “Right…”

Simon looked up to her and reached to take her hand in his. He made her eyes drop on him.

“He never stopped looking after you. At first, you couldn’t see him. And after a while, one night you started seeing him again, through the Glamour. He couldn’t believe it. No one could. We all promised to let him break your walls, and he was going to tell us when you were ready to… re-meet us all.”

Clary broke contact with Simon, resting her hands on her knees. Her eyes shifted to her empty cup, not knowing what to say. She felt responsible for what happened. Hadn’t she tried to stop her brother on her own, she wouldn’t have forgotten anything. She couldn’t understand why she had her memories back. She had defied the Angels, Raziel himself warn her against using her gifts, and yet she did. Maybe the punishment was temporary. She just had to learn her lesson for this time, and dared she try again, she would suffer a great deal. Clary wanted to enjoy her situation as much as possible, she had been given a second chance at being who she truly was… But having the possibility to draw new runes, to save people with her ability, that was her. She didn’t know if she could ever step away from that while being a Shadowhunter.

“Hey, Fray, everything is going to be okay. We’re not leaving you on your own, we’ll be by your side for every step you take. Soon enough you’ll be the best Shadowhunter again” he seemed to think for a second “don’t tell Jace or Isabelle I said that.”

The girl smiled and gave a caring look at her best friend. He was right, after all. She had her memories and her body remembered how to fight and draw runes. It would all come back to be as fine as ever. Maybe she could use her gift again as well, maybe a few runes allowed by the Angels could still be effective. She had to try; she couldn’t relinquish that possibility so easily. Clary wasn’t going to risk her memories again, she had to be careful. Simon was about to add something when he received a text. He looked straight at Clary who was suddenly realising she hadn’t taken her phone. Simon looked pale -paler than usual.

“What is it, Simon?”

He got up, took his jacket and asked his best friend to do the same. They quickly ran outside. Clary grabbed the vampire’s arm so he would stop to explain himself.

“It was a message from the Institute, we have to go. Now, Clary.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it all new, or all going back to what it used to be?

Clary and Simon arrived at the Institute as fast as they could. When they came in, Isabelle, Jace, Alycia and Catarina were around the glass table, looking at a plan of the city. It seemed serious, Isabelle was biting her lip, arms crossed, eyes down. Clary had never seen her so serious, there was something terrible, obviously. The girl lifted her eyes towards the two. Simon ran to be with her and understand what was going on. At first, Isabelle was going to say something to Clary but thought it best to keep it to herself. The red-haired girl walked up stairs to stand next to Jace who looked at her as if he wanted to make sure she was okay. Clary nodded and smiled to reassure him. Isabelle had kept her eyes on the girl.

“I know, I won’t be a part of this, since I haven’t received training yet, but I want to know what’s happening. Maybe I can help a little?”

Izzy had a small smile, trying to hide the fact that she was worried sick. Clary had no rune, no weapons, nothing at all, and yet she was ready to give herself to them if they would ask her to. However, it was time to get back to work, for all of them. Isabelle touched the screens behind her, and something appeared above the table. Some red spots lighted up here and there, randomly. Clary frowned, trying to understand the meaning of it all.

“Demon attacks?” questioned Simon, apparently used to that kind of situation “or Downwolders?”

“Demons” replied Isabelle, bothered.

“I don’t understand” started Clary, curious and puzzled “I remember that we took Edom down, every demon should be dead, right?”

The Lightwood girl simply shrugged, she was clearly not in control and she didn’t like it at all. At least understanding what was going on would’ve been helpful, but they had no clue. Jace was intensely looking at the board, trying to find a pattern, something to get out of the attacks.

“Edom was only a part of the Under Worlds, there are others” corrected Catarina. “However, demons usually came from Edom since it was the only kingdom able to access our world. I cannot tell where they come from. Other realms must have found ways to connect. It cannot be good.”

Every face was turned towards the warlock. She knew she was delivering some bad news, but there was nothing else she could tell them on that subject. Every demon and greater demon they had encountered -except for Azazel- had come from there. Lilith had probably been destroyed. Just as any greater demon that was there, including some Princes of Hell. That seemed like a huge win at the time. Maybe the demons had been released when Edom collapsed? Any theory could be a good one, since no one knew what exactly had happened.

“Any mundane hurt or killed?” asked Alycia, looking focused as well.

“Injured, yes. From what I heard they say people in leather costumes jumped at them.”

They all frowned. Some Shadowhunters came back at that specific moment saying they found and killed some demons, they were just the same as before: black, vicious, blowing up when pierced by their blades. Somehow, Isabelle looked relieved. Even though they had no idea where they came from, at least they knew those demons could be taken down. Clary wanted so bad to go into this city and defend its people. She wanted to feel her daggers in her hands, fighting for what was right. She knew better, though, she couldn’t, she wasn’t ready. She had to train, to get better. She couldn’t put anyone’s life in danger; especially the lives of her fellow Shadowhunters that would give anything to protect her. She had to be patient. As she was lost in her thoughts, a Portal opened, and Alec appeared. He came straight to them, a serious face painted on.

“Talk to me.”

“Demon attacks. Mundane hurt, but not yet killed. My Shadowhunters succeeded in killing some of the beasts. There are more attacks being reported, look. We’ll have a busy night.”

“Alright” said Alec, his bow appearing in his hand. He lifted his eyes to the new girl “Alycia, get ready, we’re going together.”

The French girl nodded, and left by the Inquisitor’s side, grabbing her belt on the way out. Clary gave a look at Isabelle, but she was already getting ready to leave as well.

“Jace, you want to come or stay?” she asked, the boy looked at Clary.

“I can stay with her if you want to take care of some demons” said Simon with a shrug.

“No, you work well with Isabelle. I promised I would take care of Clary, and it starts now.”

Clary smiled and hugged Simon before he left with his girlfriend. Soon enough, Jace and Clary were left alone, looking at the board still glowing. It was weird, seeing everyone leaving so fast to go fight demons and being forced to stay put. Clary didn’t like that situation at all; she had no other choice but to accept it. The sooner she started training, the sooner she would be sent back on the field. That was all that mattered. She would be able to help her friends and defend her city. She would do anything in her power.  
Jace looked at her as she was thinking, then he took her hand gently in his, making sure he wasn’t surprising her; he was leading her elsewhere. Staying at the same place wasn’t helpful, so he guided her to the training room. The Herondale made her change clothes to get ready, he didn’t want to push her, but they had to get ready too. Clary felt so good having those clothes back. She felt true to herself. All the broken pieces of her life were coming down together, at last. She grabbed a staff to fight before joining her boyfriend.

“So, Alec the Inquisitor goes on missions?” she questioned, looking at Jace’s perfectly fit body.

“It’s only the second time I’ve seen him come down with us. The first time was for Alycia’s first assignment. And the second well, now.”

“With Alycia” replied the girl, somewhat suspicious.

“Yeah” answered Jace, he sighed and shrugged. “She’s a cool kid, Clary” she came close to her, holding her “she’s very good, but don’t tell anyone I said that. I’ve been trying to keep my reputation with her around.”

Clary smiled, looking down before nodding. Everyone seemed quite fond of the French girl. She couldn’t disagree, there was something appealing with her; but still, it was all new to her.

“But… she seems familiar, doesn’t she?”

Jace walked away, frowning as if he were thinking harder than usual. Eventually, he shrugged and raised his sticks to get ready.

“Yeah, maybe.”

To be perfectly honest, he didn’t give it much thought. He was amongst those who liked Alycia. She was easy to trust, she seemed kind and frank. However, now that Clary had mentioned it, he couldn’t help but to start wondering. He was going to be more careful. At the moment, though, they were busy with something else. He faked coming back and started attacking her. The conversation was over, and training had begun. Clary was happy to notice that her reflexes were still here, and she had no problem avoiding Jace’s punches at first. She could even block some of his moves. She looked very proud. After a while, however, she started losing her breath and taking the blows. As soon as she hit the ground, the boy stopped and kneeled next to her.

“Want to stop for today?” he asked, looking at her face, marked.

“No. Draw my healing rune, I can keep going” answered Clary without any hesitation.

“I think we should wait for Alec and Izzy to come back before trying that” replied the blond boy, unsure.

“Jace, I’m a Shadowhunter. I can handle it.”

Unfortunately, he kept his grounds and only accepted to take her to the infirmary. A doctor took care of her bruises, saying they were nothing and would disappear in no time. Jace stayed by her side the whole time, but Clary felt somehow humiliated. She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted Jace to leave, but she was too afraid to lose him to ask him that; so, she let him be with her. They didn’t stay long, though, they had no business there. Jace took the girl to her former room and told her she could have it back.

It made Clary think, a lot. She had been living a mundane life for months, now. She had school, she had new friends, she had her art. Could she let it all go that fast to become a Shadowhunter again? Last time, she had to in order to find her mother, but this time, she had no reason to just abandon her life on the side for the Shadow World. No reason other than the fact that it felt right. As a mundane, she adjusted. Adapter herself to the world and the people. As a Shadowhunter, she was in total control of everything she was doing. She had power. She had the ability to make the world a better place. This was her calling. Her place to be, her people. A smile grew on her face as she turned around to look at Jace.

“I would be glad to have it back” she said, holding his hands.

“For a second I really thought you were going to decline.”

“For a second, I did too” admitted Clary.

Jace frowned, it didn’t comfort him at all in his plans. He had worked so hard to get her back; he was terrified to let her go again. Just thinking about it made his heart break into pieces. She saw his face change and closed the distance between them in order to hug him, but she changed her mind. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. He let himself go in that kiss, feeling like he had finally got his girlfriend back. After so long, everything was being normal again. He was complete. He couldn’t wait to go back on mission with her. It was the highlight of his life. They got rid of her diabolic father, and crazy monstrous brother. He regretted that her mother had died, but Luke was now her family, and so was he. Nothing could come between them. Even though he wouldn’t admit it, as everybody else, he thought Alec and Magnus to be an inspiration, and he cared to follow in their footsteps, not letting anything destroy his couple.

Isabelle was the same as her brother, not taking anyone’s opinion on the fact she was openly dating a vampire nerd. Jace was perfectly satisfied with his brothers-in-law. They always had his back if anything happened. He felt lucky, extremely lucky. After a while together, Jace took Clary back to the operations centre. They arrived right on time as Isabelle and Simon came in as well. She threw her weapon on the table. They looked tired and hurt, even though no bruises could be seen. Isabelle had used her rune and Simon had healed already. Their skin was dirty, though. Bloody and dirty. Clary rushed to be with her best friend, but he seemed annoyed by something.

“Izzy” started Jace, running after his sister “what happened out there?! You couldn’t kill the demon?”

“It was killed, alright” replied Simon, rubbing his forehead “but not by us.”

Clary and Jace frowned, sharing a puzzled look. The blond boy ran his tongue on his lips, trying to think about that. He crossed his arms, standing tall.

“We found the demon” said Isabelle, trying to wrap her mind around everything “we even captured it for a time, I wanted to make it talk. An arrow pierced its heart.”

“An arrow?” wondered Clary. The only person she knew using arrows was Alec.

“Yes, a dark arrow, I don’t know where it came from but whoever shoot it didn’t want us to find out whatever the demon knew.”

She was clearly mad at herself for not being able to find the answers she wanted. She punched the table, only letting Simon get close to her to calm her down. They didn’t share more details with them; soon after, Alec and Alycia came back, in the same state as the other ones. Alec was way calmer than her sister and instead of throwing his bow, his put it on the table. He didn’t seem as bothered as Isabelle. She looked at him and crossed her arms on her chest. She was pissed, and Alec nodded. She didn’t have to talk to make him know what she meant.

“We didn’t get anything either.”

“Someone beat us to it!” started the French Shadowhunter, visibly annoyed. “We cornered the demon in a street, ready to take it down, and to possibly question it. An arrow came flying and it exploded. There was nothing we could do.”

Alycia seemed frustrated as well, just like Isabelle, the two girls came together, frowning and swearing. Jace walked up to Alec, trying to talk to him, figure out what happened. The Herondale was sorry he couldn’t be there to lend a hand. Even if he had been there, it would probably have made no difference whatsoever. At least he could have shared the disappointment.

“I don’t know, man” answered Alec to his Parabatai’s silent questions “maybe we have a nameless vigilante. Ask Lorenzo to look into it.”

“I know how to do my job, Alec” replied Isabelle, surprising everyone by the tone she used “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I just-”

“It’s okay, I know” he shifted his eyes around “where is Catarina? I need to go back to Alicante.”

The French girl looked like she was about to speak but she held back, shaking her head. Clary was about to ask her about that, but Catarina walked in as if she had heard Alec. The red-haired girl realised now that it was weird having the warlock around that much. Catarina had her job at the hospital. Then again, she was probably assigned to the Institute since Magnus wasn’t there anymore. Lorenzo maybe asked her to be first there in case the Shadowhunters needed anything. The warlock hurried and opened a Portal for Alec to go through. Isabelle was still looking at the board when Simon grabbed her arm to make her look at him.

“Listen, Lili’s right, there’s nothing we could’ve done. We’ll find our answers later, okay? We all need to rest and call it a day.”

She nodded and almost came into his arms when Underhill walked in, someone behind him. Isabelle passed by Simon, and went down the stairs, careful. The head of security didn’t look so happy. Clary had seen that look time and time again: he had been forced to bring someone he didn’t want to.

“He said he knew you” started the Shadowhunter, as if he didn’t know the person he was bringing, although, he perfectly did.

“It’s okay, Underhill” replied the Head of the Institute.

Clary came next to Izzy and realised she recognised the person here. He was part of her memories. She knew him. He seemed surprise to see the girl here and started frowning. However, it had nothing to do with him coming, and he quickly regained his balance.

“You have your Sight again?” he asked with an amused smile “guess we’re all going back to normal, then.”

“What do you mean, Raphael?” questioned Isabelle, pretty shaken up by all the events happening.

He opened his mouth, showing his teeth. Clary quickly saw what he meant to demonstrate. She could see his fangs. Even though she had many more memories of him being a vampire, he had been turned back into a mundane. He shouldn’t have them back. The red-haired girl frowned, as anyone around. Alycia looked more confused than anyone else, and instead of getting closer, she stayed back. She seemed to be willing to run away.

“I’m a vampire again” stated Raphael, holding his anger back “I don’t know how, and I want to know who did this to me.”


	3. Chapter Three.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you knew everything, well, think again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have precised that this work is based only on the tv show.

The moon was up in the sky, yet, no one was sleeping. They were all gathered in Isabelle’s office; trying to wrap their minds around the new information they had been given just hours ago. Izzy was on her feet, walking through the whole room; Simon was leaning on the desk, staring at Raphael; Clary and Jace were standing together against a wall, also looking at the vampire; Alycia and Catarina were sitting each on Raphael’s sides, trying to figure out why he was a vampire again. Isabelle was muttering but no one could really hear what she was mumbling about.

Clary sometimes let her eyes slide on Alycia, the French girl had been reluctant to accompany them all in Isabelle’s office, as if she were wary of the vampire. She stayed at a certain distance, not willing to come close; however, she was a Shadowhunter from France, and they were all searchers. Her curiosity took more space than caution in her heart. She finally came to Raphael and started looking at him to try and find some clues. The weird thing was that they looked straight into each other’s eyes for a split second, as if it weren’t the first time they had met.

“Did you notify Alec?” asked Jace, arms crossed, focused on the vampire.

“No, I haven’t. What do you want me to tell him, exactly? Raphael has come back as vampire, but we have no idea how or why?” she yelled, stopping “what good is that going to do?!”

“I don’t know, maybe Magnus has heard about similar situations!” Jace shouted back, turning to face her.

“Okay, okay, let’s all breathe! Catarina surely found something, right?” interrupted Simon, hating the heated speech of the others.

Unfortunately, the Warlock simply shook her head, warning everyone that she had no answers. The warlock wasn’t used to be so helpless. If Raphael hadn’t been killed and buried, there was no explanation for his sudden change. The only possibility was that the effects of Glorious were temporary, but it couldn’t be. Everyone else treated the same way was monitored: no one had turned back. It was a plain old mystery.

Alycia looked even more puzzled, unable to take her eyes off of Raphael, looking absolutely at all of him, trying to find an explanation. She knew that had he been killed, his newly re-found faculty to heal would make it all disappear anyway. She reached for his neck for the hundredth time, and he would have let her; however, for the hundredth time she didn’t dare touch him. Actually, he was stoic, not moving a muscle. He couldn’t care less if anyone was undressing him or whatever. He was so annoyed, he stopped caring for a time. The French girl finally got up, sighing in exacerbation. She cracked her fingers as if she were ready to take anyone down. She rubbed her forehead, glancing at the Head of the Institute.

“Do you know anything?” questioned Isabelle, almost running into the girl.

The French girl opened her mouth but held back before talking. She sighed again, not to sure how to say what she wanted. There was something, obviously.

“If you cou- I mean… could you please call Lyon and ask them to send us everything I have left of my researches on the Fallen?” replied Alycia, making a face.

“Why? Tell us what you know” Raphael had stood up, as if the sentence had woken him up.

He rushed forward, and pushed Alycia against a wall; however, he couldn’t exactly threaten her, since she was already pointing a wooden stick towards his heart from his back. Her face was somewhat neutral for somebody holding someone else’s life in her hands. Raphael didn’t break eye contact, as if he were tempting her to actually murder him on the spot.

“Not to break the sexual tension, but -and I can’t believe I’ll be saying that- I think Jace is right. We should give a word to Alec before asking any Institute for whatever documents” except for Raphael and Alycia, all eyes turned towards Simon. “What?” asked the boy.

“Fine, I’ll go see him, we’ll be back in ten at most. No one moves” said Isabelle, giving a look at Catarina for her to open a Portal. “Okay, maybe Alycia and Raphael, you guys can move.”

She didn’t stay to see if anyone was following orders, as soon as Catarina opened the Portal, she jumped into it, thinking about going straight to her brother’s place. At the second she arrived, she remembered he was happily married and busting in uninvited might bring more trouble than solutions. She bit her tongue but proceeded anyway, walking down the corridor, trying to find her way to the living room. She had been here a few times, but the apartment was so big, she would always get lost. Needless to say, she was fairly certain Alec got lost in it sometimes too; Magnus seemed to like changing things around quite often. However, the couple not being aware of her presence they might not find her any time soon.

Fortunately -or unfortunately? – a door opened as she passed by it. Her brother came out of the room, dressed in nothing more than a towel. That was probably the bathroom. She looked at his surprised face, and he looked at her, frowning. He pointed at her as if asking what she was doing here but no words could come out of his mouth. Isabelle recomposed herself and sighed, balancing her arms in the air.

“Look, we need you back at the Institute, it’s-”

“Something happened?!” yelped Alec, forgetting his was half naked.

“Raphael came by, and he-”

“ALEXANDER ARE YOU TALKING TO SOMEONE THAT’S NOT ME?” shouted Magnus from a room somewhere nearby -or not.

“Could you guys stop interrupting me?” snapped Isabelle “and could you please get dressed, with actual clothes?”

Alec looked down and realised he, indeed, wasn’t wearing much. He sighed, lead her to the living room and sent back to his bedroom in order to get dressed. In the meantime, Magnus came in. He was wearing a glittering robe, a hand in his pocket and another holding a drink. Why was he always holding something? He smiled kindly at Isabelle, as if he didn’t care about the reason of her presence and sat right in front of her. The girl was always amazed by the fact he seemed on flick all the time; she knew it was magic, but still. He could probably rock a bedhead, but he would never let anyone -maybe not even Alec- see him so crazily looking. She smiled at the idea, forgetting for a second why she had come.

“So, Isabelle. What brings you into our humble home?” asked Magnus dramatically throwing his hand in the air.

“Humble? Yeah, huh, actually if you could come too. You know, to the Institute. We’re having something of an issue, and your… expertise might be needed.”

Magnus smiled and waved away, changing clothes immediately, looking like his fabulous self as usual. Isabelle smiled, feeling like they had a chance at stopping whatever was coming at them. For a moment, she forgot that one of her Shadowhunters was holding information from her. Alec walked in, fully dressed in a suit looking like anything he had been wearing for the past years. Isabelle sighed but was relieved at the perfectly normal sight of her brother. The girl got back on her feet as well and proceeded to take a minute to tell Alec and Magnus everything, from the fact that Raphael was a vampire again, to Alycia asking for documents from the Lyon Institute. After that, Magnus opened a Portal in a second, and all three went through it.

When coming back into Isabelle’s office, everyone had traded places, except for Raphael and Alycia, still hanging eye to eye. His hand on her neck, just over some strange black veins running on her skin, and her wooden stick craving to be pushed into his heart. Magnus scoffed, finding the situation very funny, but the two opponents were extremely serious. Isabelle rolled her eyes. Clary and Simon were sitting on the couch, Jace right behind his girlfriend. Catarina was standing, looking dreadfully at Raphael and Alycia. Alec walked towards them, putting his hand on the girl’s wrist. Immediately, she lowered her weapon, to which Raphael responded with an eyebrow lift. He wasn’t expecting that at all. Alec grabbed the vampire’s shoulder, inciting him to take a few steps back, which he did, still in awe. The Inquisitor gave a disappointed look to the French girl, who tried really hard to just ignore it. She frowned, putting her wooden stick on a practical. Isabelle came next to the girl, her hands on her hips. She wanted to hear what she had to say.

“What do you know?” questioned Alec.

“I-. I cannot be sure, and I don’t want to lead us onto something wrong. That’s why I need to get in touch with Lyon” she said, finally lifting her eyes towards him.

“Tell us, we’ll check on that all together.”

Alycia bit her lip and turned to Magnus as if he were going to be on her side. Realizing he wouldn’t, she sighed once again and leaned on the practical behind her. Her eyes met Raphael’s, the one most concerned; she suddenly got surprised and looked around. Eventually, she shrugged.

“Fine, but don’t hold anything against me if it all happens to be useless or wrong. I believe that we’re having a problem with the Fallen.”

“Develop” hurried Raphael.

“Easy, there, batman. You’re not going to believe a word I’m about to say” she took a deep breath. “Some people were erased from history; and I don’t mean people as in you and me, I mean angels; and more. What you all know, is that several angels were banished from Heaven and exiled on Earth, or below. Lucifer is probably the most famous of them all, supposedly became a demon, a dark angel, a Prince of Hell. However, it was a bit more complicated than that. For thousands of years after his banishment, Lucifer stayed true to himself, he had kept his wings, and angelic powers. After such a long time, five of his siblings had fallen as well and were by his side. That’s when Lucifer changed. He decided to let go of his beliefs and used his siblings to gain power. He turned them, one into a werewolf; another into a vampire; a third into a Seelie; and the fourth into a Warlock. The more he changed them, the more his blood got corrupted. He became the most powerful of the Fallen” Alycia was looking at each person in the room, forcing them to dive into her story, but she took too long of a break, and Simon frowned.

“What, you said five had fallen, what happened to the last one?” he asked.

“That’s when Lucifer’s wings turned from white to black, just as much as his soul, heart, and blood. He gave his brother his grace. Making him into a full angel again.”

Everyone looked stunned. Magnus was the most puzzled one. He tried to talk but didn’t even know how to put his thoughts into words, that was a lot to say.

“The last sibling went back to Heaven?” wondered Clary, more to herself than to Alycia.

“Yes, he did. As he came back to his family, that peculiar angel decided to create something of a race, to counteract his brother’s doing.”

“Wait, are you saying…? That’s not possible, Alycia, you’re speaking nonsense!” yelped Alec, shaking his head.

“I don’t understand” commented Simon.

“The fifth angel, the last of Lucifer’s siblings, his name was Raziel and coming back to Heaven, he made the Shadowhunters to annihilate his brother’s creations.”

No one dared talking, but everyone’s mind was burning up, trying to wrap their heads around it all.

“That’s not how it happened” opposed Jace, quite confident.

Alycia didn’t bother to give him an answer, she simply rolled her eyes, she knew they wouldn’t trust her, they wouldn’t dare to believe her words. She didn’t want to push her luck, adding to that would make it worse, but should she wait for them to think about it, maybe it would make things better. Raphael took a few steps towards Alycia, not in a threatening way, more like a friendly one.

“So, you’re saying we’re actually all coming from angels?”

“That’s simplifying more that it should be, but in a way, I guess so.”

“And how would you know all that, mh?” asked Jace, still not believing anything she said.

“Lyon specialises in myths and legends, compared to reality. Moreover, I specialised in our ancestors, angels and demons combined. I need my papers to make sure I am right.”

Raphael started walking in the small room, as Isabelle did before. Simon didn’t seem quite comfortable, not really understanding everything. Jace was still doubting what the girl had said. Alycia’s eyes were stuck on Raphael.

“There’s just one thing I find hard to understand here-” started the vampire, coming back and forth towards the French girl.

“Only one?!” shouted Simon, driving everyone to look down at him.

“How does that help our case? Who do you think turned me back exactly, the Original Vampire or whatever? I don’t see the relevance of that nice story of yours.”

Alycia scoffed, even though she tried not to. She raised her eyes back towards Raphael, looking less and less anxious of his presence. Besides, she perfectly knew that what she was about to say might actually be the weirdest thing until now.

“No, and we have no idea who are the Originals. Like, really no one knows. What we know, however is that there is still someone able to turn anyone into anything just by the will of it.”

“You don’t think…” said Alec in a breath. “It can’t be, Alycia.”

Everyone else looked at the others, not understanding quite everything. They both seemed in phase, but that was just the two of them. They were all simply listening, trying to figure things out as well. Alycia stared at the Inquisitor, shrugging.

“I don’t see how else it would be possible. Even the Original vampire has to follow the transformation rituals, burying and all. To my knowledge, he’s the only one capable of such a thing.”

“Who?!” asked all the others as one.

“Lucifer” replied both Alec and Alycia.


	4. Chapter Four.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One more person arrives. Who the Hell is it?!

They had all been forced to sleep on it. There was nothing more they could do until Lyon approved and cleared the transfer of the papers required by Alycia. To do so, the French Institute had warned their fellow New-Yorkers that an envoy would be sent as well if they agreed to share. The next day, early in the morning, Isabelle received word. As planned, Alycia’s researches would be sent, in the hands of a Shadowhunter named Thomas Dumont. Neither Isabelle nor Alec, both in the Head’s office, waiting for him to arrive, had ever heard of the boy. It was probably better this way, at least they didn’t have any prejudices on him.

A portal opened just a few minutes after receiving words from Lyon. A boy came through, just as planned. He was tall, not as tall as Alec, but average tall. His hair was falling before his eyes, it had a caramel colour, almost blond here and there, brown on other sides; his eyes were very clear, a beautiful blue green. He had a satisfied grin on his face and took a deep breath, as if he were arriving at some place he had always wanted to see. He looked around, his eyes passing by quickly over the Lightwood siblings. Both of them were staring at him; he looked so young, it was strange knowing that he had been chosen by the Lyon Institute as an envoy. Something was off about him. He was overly confident, his whole stance screamed arrogance.

He was just standing there, one hand in his pocket, the other one on the bag he was carrying. He was wearing a black shirt, and blue jeans. His sleeves were up to his elbow, showing a few runes drawn on his arms. There were some on his neck as well. He seemed to enjoy himself being there. He took a few steps forward as the portal closed behind him. He stretched his hand towards Alec, a smile still on his pretty face. The delight he was having unsettled the two others, but the Inquisitor still reached to shake the boy’s hand.

“Thomas Dumont, pleased to meet you.”

“Alec Lightwood” said the Inquisitor. “This is Isabelle Lightwood, Head of this Institute.”

“Of course,” replied the boy, shaking her hand as well. “It’s a pleasure, miss lightwood. I have all of the papers you asked for.”

“Yes, Alycia’s researches” said Alec.

At the sound of her name, Thomas’ smile fainted. He looked down for a second, as if he were recalling an old lost memory of his. He regained his balance fast enough, his smirk back on his face along with that presumptuous expression of his. Alec decided he didn’t like the guy. Isabelle frowned as well; she was curious to know why he had such a reaction to Alycia’s name. However, it was none of her business, and she could ask her friend later on. Thomas raised an eyebrow when he realised the two others weren’t moving an inch. He waited patiently as the Lightwoods stared at him.

“Right” said Alec, looking at the boy from head to toe. “We should get Alycia.”

“Yes, we should” agreed Thomas with a hesitating smile.

“Not you” replied Alec, quite harshly. “You’re staying here, waiting for me to come back with her.”

“But, she’s my-” started the boy before shutting up, he locked his jaw. “Alright, sir.”

Alec frowned but nodded, not willing to get deeper into that conversation, they would be able to get to know each other at some point. Now was not the time. He left his sister’s office, walking straight towards Alycia’s bedroom. He tried to forge an opinion about Thomas at the same time. The boy seemed to follow the line of command; that was reassuring. However, Alec ought to advise his sister to be careful, the French boy was strong minded, stubborn, the moment he would decide to follow his will instead of his superiors, troubles could follow. He hoped Alycia knew him and would be able to restrain him somehow. He tried to be as quick as possible, but he didn’t really know what room was the girl’s, so he had to ask around. Eventually, he arrived where he wanted, in vain. She wasn’t there. Of course, not. He shook his head, why would she be in her room? That wasn’t like Alycia’s habits. He knew her better than that.

This time, he didn’t have to ask anyone his road, he knew exactly where he was going. He almost ran down the hallways, finding his way to the training room. He had been right, of course; he could have come here from the start. She was there, sweating and smiling. She hadn’t any stick in her hands, it was lying on the ground. He opponent succeeded in taking it away from her. Nonetheless, he didn’t have any weapons either; they probably were equally as good. However, the girl didn’t look like she was doing her best; she was holding back for some reason. Alec stood there, arms crossed, not knowing whether or not he should wait for the fight to come to an end. His patience wasn’t that virtuous, though, and it quickly ran out.

“Guys” said the Inquisitor, getting the attention he wanted from the fighters. “I need Alycia.”

The French girl looked straight at the Lightwood, pretending not to focus on the fight anymore. Just as planned, Raphael fell for it, and jumped at the girl. However, she was more in control than she appeared, and grabbed him by the collar to pin him on the floor. The vampire looked disconcerted as the Shadowhunter glanced at him with a smirk. She was obviously delighted by the effect she had. Nonetheless, she stayed clear from any skin contact with Raphael, which basically no one noticed.

“Nice try, batman” she said as she got off of him. “I’m no newbie, though. You’ll have to do better.”

The vampire laid on the ground without moving, staring at the ceiling. He felt rather good on the floor, sore and almost tired. Damn, he already missed being a mundane so much. He would have felt hurt, exhausted, hungry, thirsty, maybe more. He failed to remember exactly how everything felt, but he missed it anyway. He sighed and turned his head just to watch the girl go away. She was almost running towards Alec as he was waiting for her with a somewhat proud smile on his face. Those Shadowhunters were really strange sometimes. He shook his head. In a second, Alycia was by the Inquisitor’s side. He shifted his arms from being crossed to being behind his back.

“We have company” he simply said as the girl was grabbing a towel to dry her face. “You should come, it’s related to you.”

“You received the papers from Lyon? Great!” replied the French Shadowhunter with a huge smile on her face. “Let me take a shower and I’m all yours.”

“Alright, be quick about it, we have a lot of readings to do. I don’t want to start without you. We’ll be in Izzy’s office. Don’t keep us waiting.”

He left before hearing an answer from her. She nodded in her corner, happy to hear that. In a hurried, she left the training room as well and ran to her bedroom in order to take that desired shower. As promised, she did it as fast as possible -when you start enjoying the hot water, it’s hard to get out of there. She got dressed in clean clothes and rushed towards Isabelle’s office. It took her less than ten minutes to do it all. A smile was still lightening up her face when she entered the room after knocking. However, she stood by the door, paralysed as she looked at the envoy from Lyon. He got up, and she had to resist the will to take a step back.

It was a face she hadn’t seen in years other than in her dreams. Her shocked face alerted the Lightwoods, but they didn’t know what to say. Alec came next to the girl, putting a hand on her arm. She didn’t realise he was coming, and she almost jumped aside at his touch. She stopped staring at the French Shadowhunter to glare at the Inquisitor. He seemed genuinely concerned about her. She shook her head, putting her eyes back on the boy. He had a smile on his face, stuck there from the moment she opened the door. Obviously, they had never planned on seeing each other so soon. Isabelle was frowning and observing the scene from afar.

“Thomas” whisper Alycia, tears in her eyes. “That’s not- I mean- how did you…? Is this…?”

She dared taking a few steps forward, slowly getting closer to the envoy. The boy didn’t move, he didn’t want to scare her away. He was staring at her with a certain spark in his eyes that neither of the Lightwoods could identify. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t look away. On the other hand, she was acting as if she dreaded getting next to the boy. They evidently shared a history. Eventually, Alycia faced her colleague. She wanted to reach for him but held back.

“Is this…” she tried again, unable to express any of her ideas in a proper way.

“It’s okay,” gently said Thomas “we’re okay. It’s okay, it’s all over, now.”

She still held back for a second, staring at the boy’s happy face; in the end, she quickly jumped at his neck, putting her arms around it. Thomas didn’t stop smiling as he pulled her closer to tighten the hug. It had been years since they last hugged. Hell, it had been years since they last talked. They couldn’t even be sure they knew each other anymore; however, it felt just like nothing had happened and they had left each other only hours before. After a few seconds, they eventually let go of each other, still happy of that reunion. Alycia eventually turned around to face the two Lightwoods, waiting for answers. They had no idea what happened.

“We… We know each other” said the girl.

“Believe it or not, we’ve noticed” replied Isabelle. “You seem to know each other really well, too.”

“I sure hope so” answered Alycia. “Thomas is my Parabatai.”

Isabelle and Alec both looked equally disturbed by that sentence. They had expected pretty much anything but that. They seemed to be utterly shocked. Both tried to speak, but no words came out of their mouth. Isabelle came closer to them, and as she did, Thomas took his stele out and passed it over Alycia’s skin right above where her heart was. A rune appeared, a Parabatai rune. The boy also unbuttoned his shirt just enough for the Head to see he had the same one, at the same place. The Lightwoods looked at each other, and Alec shrugged as if his sister had asked him a silent question. Obviously, he didn’t know anything more than her about that. It wasn’t all that surprising that Alycia had a Parabatai, but she had never mentioned him, in any case. The Inquisitor frowned, unhappy to discover this at that moment, and crossed his arms.

“Why is this our first-time hearing this?” he asked, unsettled.

“This is your first-time hear-” started Thomas before turning towards Alycia. “Right, why so?”

“Look, there are things I kept for myself. I have my reasons. Thomas… Because of something I cannot talk about, I wasn’t supposed to ever see him again. That’s why I never spoke his name.”

Alec uncrossed his arms, suddenly questioning his reaction. He didn’t mean to trigger the girl in such a way. He has a sorry face, which made Alycia smile; she didn’t want him to be concerned by this, she had made peace with it some time ago. It hurt, but still.

“What do you mean?” asked Isabelle, still unsure. “Why weren’t you supposed to see him again?”

The French girl lifted her silver eyes towards the other one. Thomas gently grabbed her hand to ease her mind. Alycia sighed.

“It was forbidden by the Clave…”

“How long as it been?” questioned again the Inquisitor before Alycia could finish her sentence.

“Two years, sir” replied Thomas, looking straight at him.

Alec and Isabelle looked at each other. The Inquisitor couldn’t imagine for a second being separated completely from Jace for two whole years. The reunion between them two was much more comprehensible with that information in mind. How could anyone live apart from another piece of their soul? More importantly, what could they have done to force the Clave to prohibit any contact between them? He had a lot of questions to ask, but he had clearly understood that Alycia wouldn’t talk more than what she had already said. He could see it on her face.

“We have some work to do, haven’t we?” said Thomas to save the situation. “We should get to it.”

He turned around to grab the bag he had taken with him, letting go of Alycia’s hand at the same time. They looked at him do that from their places. Thomas frowned at the sight of them all staying put. He was expecting them to move, but they didn’t. He glanced at his Parabatai. She raised an eyebrow and simply shrugged.

“Alright, we’re not doing it here. Isabelle needs her office to get things done, too. Let’s find a room.”

“I usually like that sentence” commented Thomas, bringing upon him every eye. “Under other circumstances, maybe.”

Alycia answered with an eyeroll before smiling. She wanted to be done with him, but she had actually missed idiotic remarks like those. She could have spent hours to just listen to him talk. Yet, she felt conflicted. Having Thomas back in her life was a relief, a source of joy, a reason to be happy. However, she had been without him for two years already, and even though she had missed him like hell, she was a whole new person. Could he bear with her? Her eyes fell on the two others.

“Lead the way, mister Inquisitor, we’ll follow.”

Alec looked a few more seconds at the French boy before getting out of the office, saying goodbye to his sister. He guided them to an empty room in which it would be quiet enough for them to study what Thomas had brought back from Lyon. They all sat down, and he laid the papers on the table. Alec and Thomas both started taking sheets to read them, to which Alycia laughed.

“Good God, you’re not going anywhere with this. You’re reading it backwards. Those, right there, are the beginning of my researches,” she said, pointing at the other end of the table “and what you’re holding, mister Inquisitor, is actually a draft about Warlocks. You’ll learn a lot, but not about the Fallen, I’m afraid.”

“Are you sure?” asked Alec, staring at the piece of paper he was holding. “I could’ve sworn I caught glimpse of Lucifer’s name.”

“Yes, well… He’s mentioned pretty much everywhere, somehow, but trust me, we don’t need that” ended the girl, taking her sheet back and giving him another, more appropriate.   
“There, it’ll be better with this one.”

“What exactly are we searching for? I have not exactly been taken into the loop” said Thomas.

Alycia glared at him. It was surreal having him so close, right here, in this environment. It was like her universes had collapsed into one, to make it whole. Still, it would take some adjustments for it to feel normal, and hers. She took a deep breath as she realised that she had been staring at her Parabatai for too long a time. He was smiling, and Alec was so focused into his reading he hadn’t noticed.

“Well, we want to know how and why Lucifer would turn mundanes into… Downworlders.”

“And you truly believe that Lucifer, dearest fallen and Prince of Hell is just walking around New-York, turning random people for his sick pleasure?” wondered Thomas, leaning forward on the table.

The girl looked into his eyes. She herself many questions for him, yet she couldn’t really think of any. Everything felt weird, and she didn’t understand why. The moment of euphoria had passed, and now she was left like an empty shell. He had been part of her thoughts and dreams for so long. It might just be a product of her imagination. If so, Alec and Isabelle would have never been able to see him. She sighed and shrugged.

“Why are you here?” she asked, making Alec look up from his paper, and Thomas frown. “You were in Paris, how could you come from Lyon? Why would they send you, knowing our past?”

Thomas seemed unsettled by the lot of questions. He looked at her with a certain sadness in his eyes. He had been longing for this moment for so long, he wanted to rejoice, to be happy with his Parabatai; however, the fact that she clearly wasn’t feeling the same made him sad. He smiled away anyway and shook his head.

“I asked to come. I requested a transfer to Lyon after… The incident. They waited for you to come in New-York to grant it. Over a year and a half, they really didn’t want us together. Yet, when I learnt you asked for those papers, I told them that I wouldn’t give it. I would be the one to bring them to you, or no one would. They decided it was more important than keep us apart.”

They stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“Seriously, why have you been forced to be apart?” asked Alec, frowning, eager to know more. “It seems a bit strong for a punishment.”

Alycia sighed, and shook her head. She had never spoken about that, and she was not ready to get into the details at the moment. Nonetheless, something was pushing her to tell the truth to Alec, for some reason, she didn’t want to set that question aside away again.

“We destroyed Big Ben.”

She said that looking straight at Alec and reached for a paper afterwards. She started reading a sheet to end the conversation. The Inquisitor stared at her for a few seconds, trying to wrap his mind around her answer. He knew he couldn’t ask more explanation at the moment; she wouldn’t reply anyway. That was a tale for another time, and they had work to focus on. He continued reading the paper in had in his hand, until he found something. He stretched his arm, trying to reach for Alycia in vain. She ended up rolling her eyes and grabbing his wrist to let him know he had her attention.

“I might have found something” said the Lightwood, frowning. “Some of it is in French, though.”

“Right, I have a hard time focusing my brain on one language only, let me see” she replied, as Alec gave her the sheet. “Okay, so basically, my researches show that Lucifer has kind of a power. Well, he has powers but, for the main part, his blood has the ability to change people should they drink it or be injected with it. It doesn’t work just so easily, it’s more complicated” she frowned again, not sure how to continue. “Okay, it depends on people.”

“How so?” asked Alec, anxious to know more.

“Isabelle would be better at explaining this… Our DNA depends on our ancestors, and is unique, so there’s something in it that would make us into something different with Lucifer’s blood. Raphael probably turned a vampire because that’s what he used to be. Had he taken any other Mundane, Lucifer could have turned them to be… anything” she knew she wasn’t making much sense, and it was hard for her to find the right words.

“So, you’re saying Lucifer’s blood only emphasize one aspect of our DNA to turn us?” questioned the Inquisitor.

“Precisely!” yelped Alycia, amazed by the fact he actually understood what she meant to say.

Thomas looked at both of them, sighing. The girl next to him wasn’t the girl he had known for years. She seemed so shy, so reserved, so curled up on herself. As if she were afraid to expose herself. The reason hit him so hard, he almost laughed. She wasn’t herself per say, she wasn’t as free as she used to be. That explained a lot. He decided to focus on his work. He read it all and scoffed. He gave a look at Alycia to get her attention and showing he was laughing at her work.

“You state there that people can be turned back” he said, agitating the sheet under her nose.

“Yeah, Glorious, we know” replied Alec, uncomfortable with Thomas’ behaviour.

“Not just Glorious” responded Alycia, lowering her head. “The blade was made to break Lucifer’s bond to Michael. The fact that it annuls Lucifer’s powers is just a bonus, but it wasn’t made for that. However, everything in nature has an opposite, a way to erase what was done. The Originals are able to change their own back. At least as far as I found out.”

Alec put back the paper he was holding on the table and made his chair turn towards Alycia. Thomas was still shaking his head, starting to think that all this was just too crazy to even be true.

“What?” he babbled.

“The Original vampire can turn a vampire into a mundane, same goes for the others.”

Alec rubbed his forehead; all of this was giving him a headache. It wasn’t his job anymore. He should have let his sister take care of it all. However, it was too late to turn back now.

“Alright, how do we find that Original Vampire, then? Is it Caïn?”

“No. Caïn was born from Lilith, she used Lucifer’s blood, too. He wasn’t exactly the first, though” sighed Alycia. “I have no idea how to find the Originals. No one knows a thing about them, they’re ghosts. Magnus might be able to do something, but other than that…”

“Fine, I’ll go get him, then. You two…” he looked over at the both of them. “I guess you should take some time to spend together.”

Thomas and Alycia glanced at each other as Alec was leaving the room. The girl started to put the papers in order. The boy looked at her for a while but helped her when he realised that she wouldn’t stop for a talk. He went with her back to her room. Instead of leaving right away, he stayed at the door, looking at her as if she would disappear if he dared looking away for a split second. She noticed and came close to him.

“He’s right, you know” said the boy, crossing his arms.

“You’re the last person I thought would ever agree with Alec Lightwood. Are you okay?” she asked before realising they hadn’t seen each other in so long, that question was actually legit. She lowered her eyes.

“Exactly my point” replied Thomas as he grabbed her arm to make her sit with him on the bed. “Let me in. I don’t know why you bottled up so much, but I know it must have been hard to keep the act up for so long. I’m here now, I’ll share your burden. Let me come back, Alycia.”

She looked over at him, knowing exactly what she expected from him. She nodded and let him get up to close the door of the room.


	5. Chapter Five.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They just can't do it alone anymore, can they?

It had been two weeks already since Clary came back, and after fourteen days of almost non-stop training, she was finally allowed to have some of her runes back. Especially her Iratze. That was helping a lot during practice when she was being beaten up. Fortunately, she was gaining in strength and agility, and she was getting better and better at fighting. She couldn’t always take on Jace, but she was a fierce opponent to Isabelle or Simon. Alycia was still too good for her. Clary almost wanted to go train in France, but that was more as a joke than anything else. She could even go on the field. With Jace only, and in the parts of the city where the attacks were less violent. Isabelle asked her to start with some easy stuff.

She felt so good running in the streets of New-York, invisible to the eyes of the mundanes, chasing down demons and saving people’s lives. That where she felt herself, alive and well. How could she have forgotten about all of it? How could she have lived away from this life? Tonight, she was out again, waiting on a rooftop with Jace. They had drawn a pattern for those demon attacks, they could see where they would occur. The plan was working pretty well for every Shadowhunters team. Clary lifted her eyes to the sky, enjoying her night out. The wind was chill, but it felt good on her face. When she looked back down at Jace, she caught him looking back at her. The girl smiled and sat next to him.

“It’s not so different from the first time you discovered you were a Shadowhunter” commented Jace with a smile.

“Except Alec isn’t on my back anymore and Simon is literally dating Isabelle.”

Jace scoffed, unable to tell her wrong. It was not exactly the same, they knew each other and loved each other, and knew what they were doing. They still didn’t know why demons were here, or how they came on earth, but they were here, and it was Shadowhunters’ duty to get rid of them all. Clary looked down on the street, eager to see a demon coming. They had been waiting for three hours without seeing movement. Clary sighed.

“Maybe we got it wrong this time” she said, lying down on her back. “Usually we don’t need to stand by for more than thirty minutes.”

“Isabelle’s calculations are perfect. They’ll be here.”

“What if they figured out we had their pattern? What if they changed schemes to fool us?” Clary stayed on the ground, looking at the night sky.

“Demons aren’t that clever, Clary, have you forgotten that?” laughed Jace.

“What I haven’t forgotten, is that demons don’t just come on their own. They’re manipulated. Someone’s behind it all. They might be that clever.”

Jace frowned. Maybe Clary had a point. He got up on his feet, almost ready to get back to the Institute and follow her lead, but demons showed up at that very moment. Just as he lowered his eyes, two beasts were walking down the street beneath them.

“Not that clever. Get up, we got company.”

As soon as he said those words, she stood up and they both used their runes before jumping off the building, landing on their feet, weapons in hands, ready to fight. There were three demons, sloppy ones. It took only two minutes for Clary and Jace to wipe them off. They laughed it out together, taking their time to go back to the Institute. Jace wanted to stop for a drink somewhere, but Clary convinced him to just head back home. She offered to get a drink another day. She wanted to feel the cold air. It was completely different walking in the city now that she was a Shadowhunter again.

When they arrived at the Institute, Underhill basically jumped at them, telling them there was a huge meeting in Isabelle’s office. They ran there, Jace mocking Clary about being a clairvoyant for not accepting to get a drink. When they came in, it was indeed a hell of a reunion. Pretty much everyone was here, the room was so full, they almost all didn’t fit. Alec and Magnus had come, as well as Luke. Raphael was still here, pissed and annoyed; Simon, barely staying still; Thomas, clearly making everyone else uncomfortable and himself being extremely bored; and Isabelle, of course. Jace and Clary walked in promptly, and they looked quite lost.

“What’s going on?” asked Jace, walking towards Isabelle. “Did we miss something?”

“I’m getting tired of the demons, I’ve asked everyone to come so we could understand better what’s going on” she replied, looking blank.

“Okay, what’s the plan, then?” continued the boy.

Isabelle lifted her eyes towards him and crossed her arms. She didn’t get the chance to reply.

“We’re waiting for Alycia” answered Raphael in her place. “Your little star hasn’t come back, yet.”

“You let her go on her own?!” yelped Jace, putting his eyes on his sister. “Why didn’t he go with her?” he asked, pointing at Thomas, who frowned at the gesture. “He’s her Parabatai, isn’t he?”

The boy was about to answer, but he smiled instead, leaning back on the couch he was sitting on.

“He’s not yet cleared” replied Isabelle. “There’s a few things we still have to check before we let him go on the field for us.”

Jace smirked as he looked over at Thomas, but the boy didn’t seem to care about the other one’s arrogance. He sighed and glared at Isabelle. She had been holding up his approval, she obviously didn’t trust him for some reason. He frowned; usually people trusted him with just a look. He had a familiar face. That magic didn’t seem to be working around here: everyone was wary of him. He hated that; he would always feel at ease, not matter where he was, but he hated the fact that he was forced to be alone. With Alycia on mission, he had no one. Unfortunately, she had gained everybody’s trust and she was almost always asked to go out. Tables did turn. It wasn’t at all the way it used to be. At that precise moment, she stormed into the room, swearing.

“That bastard is playing us” complained the girl, on fire.

“What are you talking about?” asked Alec, frowning.

“Lucifer. I know he’s the one who turned Raphael, there’s no other explanation, and he also must be the demons’ master. He’s probably using them as a distraction, so we don’t start looking for him. He’s a clever assho-”

“Okay, Cupcake, we get the idea” interrupted Magnus. “I can look for him. I mean, I’m not chasing demons, unlike you, and since we’re…” he gave a look at Alec “coming back here until this matter’s resolved, I could use the Institute’s resources. Tell me just one thing, Lucifer’s sort of my uncle…” Alycia had a disgusted face for a second, but Magnus ignored it “and I don’t see why a Prince of Hell would go through all that trouble. He was never the kind to create things, specially an army. Not to say he’s a pacifist, but he’s not too happy about wars. He’s more concerned about himself, really.”

“Well…” answered Alycia. “Lucifer’s associated with the Deadly Sin of Pride; he’s carrying that out pretty well! But, that’s not the point” she looked like she wanted to add more, but Simon took the upper hand.

“Is it true, he created all of us at the beginning? Are we all descending from Lucifer?” he asked, puzzled.

“No, you’re not. You’re descending from fallen angels whose blood was altered by Lucifer” stated Thomas who had been reading Alycia’s documents while she was away.

“Magnus, could you try to find the Originals?” questioned Alec. “They can turn their own into mundanes again. That might be helpful.”

“I know I’m amazing but looking for Lucifer will require all of my attention. I can’t do both, you’ll have to make a choice” answered the Warlock, waving away every word.

“I vote for the Originals” growled Raphael. “Focusing on the Vampire one.”

Alycia gave him a severe look and almost complained but Simon grabbed her wrist and shook his head to incite her not to say anything. She seemed perplexed. She looked around, trying to find support, but everyone seemed to agree with Raphael. Except maybe Magnus and Alec, looking at each other.

“What? You can’t let that happen!” protested the girl, facing Isabelle.

“Why not?” asked the Head of the Institute. “We’ve been doing research to help Raphael out, to find who did this. We found out, and we found out a way to reverse it, that’s what we wanted, and that’s what we’re going to get.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Alycia” warned Alec, not too happy with how the girl addressed his sister. Thomas grinned.

“Seriously, mister Inquisitor?” barked Alycia. She was clearly still upset. “Okay, I have a lot to say here; first of all, and I hate saying this, but you had it coming: ‘we’ didn’t find shit, I did and shared it, as a good fellow Shadowhunter. Second of all, if we catch Lucifer, not only can we help Raphael, but we might also be able to stop the attacks on New York. Let me remind you that our dearest Prince of Hell can change people, I don’t know it for a fact, but I’m pretty sure he can change people back too.”

“We’re not even sure he’s the source of the demon attacks” protested Luke, putting a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Whereas finding the Original vampire is a certain thing. We know how it will help.”

Alycia tried to contain herself. She obviously couldn’t find help with anyone, so she went straight to Magnus who suddenly felt out of place and looked suspiciously at the girl. She was really stoic and serious.

“This is your call, Magnus. If you don’t try to find Lucifer, I will” she asserted.

“Like you’ve tried the past ten years?” ironically inquired Thomas.

“You’ve been looking for Lucifer for ten years?” questioned Simon. “That sounds like an unhealthy obsession.”

The French girl bit her lip, unbalanced by everything going on. She glared at her Parabatai; he was smiling, obviously amused. Jace frowned, tired of all the argument going on. It had taken too long.

“We’re wasting our time, here” he complained. “Let her chase her Prince, Magnus will try to find the Original Vampire or whatever and we’ll beat off the demons. Isabelle, what do you think?”

The Head of the Institute seemed to be considering all possibilities. Not much was to be taken into account. Alycia was right, chasing an Original wouldn’t help with the demon attacks; but Magnus couldn’t track both at the same time. If the girl had been successful in finding the Fallen, she wouldn’t still be looking for him; it was a waste of resource to let her keep doing that. Maybe another warlock could help. All Downworlders could, actually. She sighed.

“We’re going to ask for help” she said. “Clary and I will go to the Seelie court; Jace, you’ll go with Luke to the Werewolves. Alec, if you decide to stay here and be under my command, I’ll have you ask Lorenzo for help. Bring Alycia with you. Magnus, you should probably start looking for the Original” as everyone nodded, she breathed in relieve. She looked at the people she hadn’t given assignments to. “Thomas, I’ll pair you up with a Shadowhunter to start a patrol. Raphael, you’re welcome to help, stay or leave. The choice is yours.”

“Well, I’m leaving” responded Raphael.

They all watched him go, before looking at each other. Orders had been given, they had nothing else to do but follow them. Thomas got up and grabbed his Parabatai’s wrist. Silent words flew between them. Alec frowned but didn’t say anything as the girl came to him. He wanted to ask her if everything was alright, but she smiled at him and walked by. He went after her, running in the hallways of the Institute in order to talk to her. He couldn’t have all the answers he wanted, he knew it, but as an Inquisitor of the Clave, he still deserved more than what he was given. He caught up with her and forced her to turn around, facing him. Her face was closed, as if she were trying not to have any emotion. Alec frowned, that wasn’t the girl he had known for two months. However, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he may not exactly know her. She only shared the information she wanted to, and the Clave wasn’t helpful at all. He felt like something was out of his reach.

“What’s going on with you?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Remember when we first met, you just arrived. You promised to follow me, be honest with me. Now, respect that promise, please.”

She opened her mouth, a sadden look on her face. She rubbed her forehead, running her hand in her hair. She nodded. Indeed, the first time she set foot in New-York, Alec came to get her for some reason, and she had vowed at that moment to be a diligent follower. She meant to keep her word.

“Look, I know those past few days have been weird. Thomas came in and disturbed the fragile balance we had going” she sighed. “I know I probably should have mentioned having a Parabatai, but I couldn’t. I never thought I would see him again; it was too hard speaking about it” she giggled as her eyes rolled to the ceiling. “I can’t believe I didn’t trust myself enough. All of it was obvious, I saw this coming.”

Alec was carefully listening. She almost wanted him to interrupt her, saying they would discuss it later, but he seemed determined to have his curiosity satisfied. He stared at her, and his eyes reassured Alycia; there was nothing judgemental in his look.

“Listen, we’ve been through a lot. Part of it is supposed to be impossible for us to talk about, by order of the Clave. The time will come for you to know everything there is.”

“Just tell me, why did you destroy Big Ben. Did you mean it?”

“Of course, not” replied Alycia, smiling. “It was the only choice we had to survive. Alec…” she took a step forward. “Mister Inquisitor… I promise you once again that I will be honest with you at any given time. I just need you to trust me on this. That story isn’t meant to be told in one part, okay? It has to come at its own pace.”

“How many parts are we talking about, exactly?” asked the Shadowhunter, trying to hide his annoyance as much as he could; this whole situation frustrated him.

Alycia took a deep breath; she had never been asked that question. She had never wanted to reveal herself whole. This time would be different, though. She had to be in it, all of her. She had to invest a hundred percent in this. She nodded as she tried to gather in her mind the different parts composing her story. So many things to tell.

“Right, well… I must confess I had never really thought about that… Only Thomas and S- someone else know me whole. If I had to guess, it would probably be divided in three or four parts. Two you’ll have to know soon enough. The two others might not come so quickly should they come at all.”

Alec nodded and started to leave. If it had to be taken slow, then he had no reason to question it some more. He accepted the fact that he had to trust her, and for some reason he did. He trusted her probably more than he should have.


	6. Chapter Six.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just trying to convince some old friends -or not- to help the crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time waiting, I'm going to try keeping a regular posting schedule.

Isabelle and Clary weren’t too happy to go back to the Seelie realm. They had friends here, or people they wanted to call friends, but it still felt like a hostile environment. Neither knew what they could touch without risking a war upon them. Fortunately, the first good thing was that they had been allowed in the kingdom. They were both anxious to meet the new queen. Clary didn’t know how she would be welcomed, since her brother killed their previous leader. However, until now, everything seemed to be going fine. That wasn’t really reassuring to the girls walking through the woods.

They arrived at the court, per say, after a short time. Many soldiers and servants were gathered around the throne. Apparently, the arrival of the Shadowhunters had been announced and expected. Isabelle recognised Meliorn, standing next to his newly appointed Queen. She wished she knew how the sovereign was chosen, but that was a question for another time. The girl had nothing to do with her predecessor. Her hair was short and electric blue, her eyes were purple, shinning. She had no drawings or plants on her face, just her plain brown skin. She appeared to be young, but not childish; not to be fooled, she could probably change her appearance at will. There was something about her, a caring aura. However, Isabelle wouldn’t let that soften her before she got to know the Queen. Clary and her both bowed politely to show their respect to the Seelie.

“Raise, Shadowhunters. I have been waiting for you.”

“Thank you, your majesty” replied Isabelle, standing. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“I must say it is also an honour for me, Isabelle Lightwood” she glanced at Meliorn and the rest of her Seelie subjects. “I have heard a lot about you.”

The Queen took a step down, standing up from her throne, getting closer to her guests. She walked around Isabelle with a smile on her face. She had nothing in common with her predecessor, she was wearing some kind of trousers, or leggings. She was muscular, anyone could have told she was a warrior. No one in their right mind would pick a fight with her, no matter whether or not her soldiers were here. She could defend herself. She stopped to face the two girls, grinning at them.

“And you, Clary Fairchild… Your demonic brother got rid of the previous Queen, allowing me to get on the throne. I will not say your presence is source of joy. However, you presented no sign of will to harm me. You are thus welcome into my kingdom.”

“Thank you, kindly” replied the red-haired girl, nodding. “Your highness.”

The Queen smiled and shook her head. She turned around to go sit on her chair again.

“Now, tell me what brings you into my domain.”

Isabelle and Clary shared a look. It took some time for them to come into the Seelie realm, and yet, they had not talked about their speech. They weren’t sure how to expose their problem; most importantly how to make it the Seelie’s problem so they would get involved in this. Their warriors were some of the best fighters from the Shadow World, their skills could come handy in battles against the demons. Nonetheless, Seelie folks rarely felt interested or concerned by the rest of the world. They had no business in taking actions.

“The Shadow World is in danger” started Isabelle, gathering her thoughts. “Demons keep attacking on the surface; and many mundanes are turned into Downworlders.”

“I fail to see our concern in this” said the Queen, eating what her servants brought her.

Isabelle sighed. She was about to reply when Clary took a few steps forward, making every eye turn to her. She wasn’t really confident, but she was trying to send that vibe. It had been only two weeks since she had come back, not even that. Yet, there she was, talking to the Seelie Queen as if it were part of her everyday life.

“Your majesty, with all due respect, it does concern you. We suspect the Prince of Hell, Lucifer, to be responsible for this. As easily as he can turn mundanes into Downworlders, he could just as well turn Downworlders into mundanes. We have no proof, but he might also be in charge of the demons. If so, I don’t believe he would hesitate to invade your world. He’s probably trying to find a kingdom to rule over. Why wouldn’t this place match his demands?”

The sovereign glared at Clary, first looking angry; but then her face cracked up with a smile.

“And what is it exactly that you expect from us?”

Once again, both Shadowhunters shared a look. They weren’t sure how to make this the Seelie’s problem exactly. If the Queen wasn’t yet convinced, nothing would do. Clary sighed, but Isabelle wasn’t ready to lose that fight just quite yet. She took a step forward.

“We have decided to set some patrols in order to keep the demons away. We also intend to look for Lucifer and the Original Vampire. Your warriors are very skilled, having them by our side would provide a great help.”

“You also have skilled warriors by your side. Some of your Shadowhunters could eradicate my soldiers in a blink. Especially now” replied the Queen, making the two others confused. “I do not believe we are concerned by that issue of yours, Isabelle Lightwood. However, I will not agree with the powers used by Lucifer and the reason he uses them for. For that single reason, I allow a few of my soldiers to follow you. Only those willing to do so.”

Isabelle was still a bit confused, but also relieved. She didn’t think they would get that much from the Queen. It was definitely a win for them. Only if Seelie warriors were to agree to join them. There were not many that would be pleased by the idea of working side by side with Shadowhunters. However, they were clever creatures, and the fact that Lucifer could wipe them from existence might be reason enough to convince them.

“We thank you, your Majesty” replied Isabelle, smiling nicely. “We hope to achieve an alliance in the future.”

The Queen seemed to smirk, not looking away as her guests spoke to her.

“I am sure you do” she simply said. “If you have no longer business here, I will have to ask you to leave my kingdom, Shadowhunters.”

Isabelle looked unsettled, but she didn’t try to argue. They both bowed before turning around. A couple of Seelie warriors accompanied them until they reached the doors. Meliorn was amongst them; before leaving the girls turned around to face him.

“It was nice to see you again” said Clary.

“I would say the pleasure was mine also, but I fear what happens after we meet.”

Isabelle glanced at Clary; Meliorn wasn’t wrong about that, something always seemed to occur after their meetings. They nodded, and then they left the Seelie realm, ready to go back to the Institute.

***

It didn’t take much time for Jace and Luke to arrive at Taki’s. It wasn’t the werewolf lair it used to be. The restaurant still looked new, even though it was already a year old. It felt weird for Luke to be there, especially as a Shadowhunter. He was proud of what Maia had accomplished, not only as a restaurant owner, but also as an Alpha. She was leading with strength, kindness and devotion. He admired her a lot. She was a stable leader; someone others could rely on. She was always doing her best for her pack, also trying to manage having a life on the side. He enjoyed every bit of time he could spend around her. Plus, Taki’s was a charming and welcoming place to be.

Jace, on the contrary, wasn’t exactly comfortable. He couldn’t just forget what this place used to be. Even though there was no war with the werewolves, and everyone could come to the restaurant, he loved to spend as less time there as possible. He’d rather be back at the Institute, around Shadowhunters, where he was in control. Out there, he even had to manage the way he was speaking not to offense anyone. He had grown during the past years, but he was still true to himself sometimes. Too much, apparently. He decided it would be better for him to just sip his drink and let Luke handle the diplomatic stuff. Although, he had to admit Isabelle had been right to send him here, it was way better than meeting with the Seelie Queen -whoever she was now- or Lorenzo. He didn’t know how to handle warlocks, contrary to Alec who was a pro in that matter.

Both waited for some time, sitting at their table, eating or drinking. The restaurant was full of people chatting, laughing and shouting. Waiters were forced to slalom between tables to get to their clients. It almost felt like a choreography. However, it also meant that Maia was busy elsewhere and couldn’t deal with the Shadowhunters at the moment. They hadn’t seen her after she greeted them at their arrival. She disappeared at the back of the room, and never came back. Jace was losing patience, but he tried to hold it. There were so many better things he could be doing, and yet he was stuck on that seat. Luke seemed bored. He had analysed everyone already, and his joy was less and less visible. At some point, he grabbed a boy’s arm that was passing by.

“Hey, Bat” started the former werewolf. “Do you know where Maia is?”

“Yes!” replied the boy, not looking like he was going to continue. “Oh, but I can’t tell you. Though, she’ll be here soon I suppose.”

“What’s the hold up?” asked Jace, impatient.

“I can’t tell you that either” answered Bat. “Could you let go of me, please?”

Luke apologised and let go of the boy’s arm. Bat left to serve some clients. Jace sighed. Their business was important, he didn’t understand what could possibly make Maia think it could just wait. Downworlders really seemed unaware of all the problems going on around them. Shadowhunters had to protect them all. Although, their job wasn’t made easy to do when said Downworlders weren’t cooperative. The Herondale almost wanted to just leave and deal with things on their own the way they always did. A few demons and a Prince of Hell, it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Isabelle insisted on having help from the Downworld, and her will had to be respected.

Eventually, after a few hours, Maia walked back in. Almost everyone had left, and employees were already cleaning the restaurant. Luke smiled at her and got up to give her a hug while Jace was just giving her a death stare. He had been waiting too long to be willing to try acting nice. The Alpha sat next to her Shadowhunter friend. She seemed tired, even exhausted. Jace was curious as to what she was doing, what took her so long; however, he really wanted to get it over with. He crossed his arms, expecting Luke to start the conversation. He didn’t, though, and Maia talked first.

“So, why are you guys here, anyway?” she wondered.

“We need your help” replied Luke, looking serious.

Maia scoffed, and frowned. It was rare when Shadowhunters called for help, especially to Downworlders. She shook her head, eyes shifting between the two others.

“You need our help?” repeated the Alpha, unsettled.

“Well, we don’t need it per say. Isabelle thought you might be able to help, still” said Jace.

“With what?” replied Maia, really wondering how they could be useful. “You need searching dogs?”

Jace scoffed. That point of view had crossed his mind. It was pretty much the reason why they were here; werewolves were great hunters, their tracking was good and efficient, usually. However, they had no idea what they were looking for exactly.

“Here’s what’s going on” started Luke, not picking up with the sarcasm “there are demons attacking the city. We’re containing them, sure, but they keep on coming back and it’s getting annoying. Plus, we have other responsibilities now, and we can’t do everything.”

Maia gave a look at Jace, looking really proud. Shadowhunters actually did need help. They were asking the Downworlders because they were too few. It meant that werewolves and the others had to do the dirty work, but still. The Alpha crossed her arms on her chest and leant back on her seat.

“And why should we help you?” she asked. “You’re never including us except when you just can’t handle things anymore. Why should we answer when you whistle?”

“Because your lives are as much in danger as anyone else’s!” yelped Jace, leaning forward.

“And because you’re better than Shadowhunters” added Luke, calmer than his colleague. “The New-York Institute is trying to give us all the best, right? Things are slowly changing, and it’s by answering   
calls like this one that you’re going to be given more responsibilities in the Shadow World.”

The Herondale shook his head, but his friend was right. He knew how to use words to his advantage, that was for sure; and he knew how to talk to werewolves, especially Maia. The girl seemed to be thinking about it. She had issues of her own. It didn’t look like it, but things were not so good for the werewolves. Maia was keeping it all for herself, sharing with only her pack. She didn’t want the Shadowhunters, nor anyone else to be involved in this. However, she had to think about helping the Institute. Could she leave her own?

“What are you running after?” asked Maia, staring at the table. “If we are bound to help you, I want to know for what you’re giving us your tasks.”

“We are going after a Prince of Hell and the Original Downworlders” replied Jace.

Maia frowned and scoffed, finding that reason over ridiculous. She glared at Luke, but his serious face made her realise it wasn’t a joke at all.

“Wait, for real? What Prince of Hell? What Originals?”

“It’s a long story, but it’s Lucifer. He created some Downworlders out of nowhere, and he’s doing it again. We want to find the Original ones, and the Prince himself to stop him” explained Luke, calmly.

“Plus, he might be responsible for the demon attacks. We don’t know that for sure” added Jace.

Maia sighed. She put her arms on the table and nodded.

“Fine. We’ll help. I’ll be here, with a few werewolves. No more than two or three. Sorry but that’s all I’m ready to give.”

“It’s more than enough, thank you, Maia.”

She got up, quickly saying goodbye and leaving to deal with her own issues. Jace rolled his eyes. All of this waiting for this. Really wasn’t worth it at all. He stood too, looking at Luke.

“Go ahead, I’ll see you at the Institute” he said.

The Herondale agreed and left, going straight back to the Institute.

***

Alycia looked around. The mansion was huge; she had never been here before. Alec, by her side, was standing, his hands in his back, observing the girl as she was visiting the place. The Inquisitor had already been there, too many times, he wasn’t as impressed as her. Actually, he had to say, that wasn’t his favourite place in the world. Nonetheless, not all memories were bad. During the past year, Lorenzo had been most pleasant and helpful towards the Institute. Alec was still disappointed Magnus couldn’t come with him. However, he was eager to see an interaction between the High Warlock and Alycia. The Shadowhunter was usually kind, but she could be harsh as well. He smiled at the thought, regaining his stance only when he saw Lorenzo walking down the stairs. The warlock arrived with his forever smile stuck on his face. Alec reply with a smirk, and Alycia hurried next to the Inquisitor. She stood by his side, hands behind her back. As much as she was gauging him, he was gauging her. Alec didn’t know how long that would last and they didn’t have all day. The warlock let his eyes on the girl a bit longer before shifting to look at Alec. The Inquisitor felt better having Lorenzo glancing at him.

“Well, mister Lightwood. Not that your presence isn’t pleasant, but I must admit being surprised seeing you here. Are you already growing tired of Alicante?” scoffed the warlock.

“Not at all, Lorenzo. Business brings me here” replied Alec with a condescending smile. “I don’t believe you met my friend, here” he turned around to present the girl. “Lorenzo Rey, High Warlock of Brooklyn, may I introduce Alycia Cielli.”

The girl took a step forward, stretching her hand towards Lorenzo. He took it and shook it gently before letting go. Something about her seemed oddly familiar. He felt like he had already seen her somewhere or heard that name; but he couldn’t replace it in his memories. He shook his head, thinking about it wasn’t going to help. It would come back to him, eventually.

“Pleasure, young lady” said Lorenzo, making Alycia smirk at the comment. “But, still, may I enquire as to why you are here?”

Alec glared at the girl by his side before moving towards the warlock. He was keeping his hands behind his back.

“We have a situation” started the Inquisitor.

They left a blank, to which Lorenzo responded by frowning.

“Yes? Do continue” he said, waiting for the rest of the explanations; as no one talked, Alycia sighed and rolled her eyes.

“We are trying to manage demon attacks over the city” answered the girl, to everyone’s surprise. “However, we have complications making it impossible for us to fight demons as efficiently as before. Thus, we are asking the Downworld for help.”

“What complications?” asked Lorenzo, completely serious.

“That is not why we are here” replied Alycia, staring straight back at the warlock.

He made a face, before leaving his guests in the living room, going back upstairs. Alycia and Alec shared a confused look but decided it best to just wait there. A few minutes later, Lorenzo came back with a huge book in his arms. He smiled at his guests, turning a few pages. The French girl sighed, patience not being one of her virtues. The warlock kept on reading slowly before raising a finger.

“Ah!” he yelped. “There it is. You know what this chapter is called? ‘Tales of the Fallen’. There are five parts for them.”

Alycia swallowed, dreading what would come next. Alec frowned, trying to think about how Lorenzo got that information. He sighed, crossing his arms on his chest, waiting for the warlock to continue his statement. Lorenzo glanced at the two others, still smirking.

“I just wanted to know whether or not you were willing to tell me what your complications were.”

“It’s not a secret, Lorenzo” started Alec. “I didn’t see why we should talk to you about that. That is not your concern, that is not why we are here.”

Lorenzo flipped the book closed. It disappeared from his hands; the warlock nodded towards the two. He took a deep breath, rolled his eyes. All of it was obvious, but as High Warlock, he really wanted to be made aware of everything going on in the city. Especially if it involved magic.

“I understand” he said. “I will not force any warlock to work with you. However, I will ask them to. I am sure that Catarina will be more than happy to help, and me as well.”

The two Shadowhunters glanced at each other, unsure. They shrugged and nodded gladly. Alec stretched his hand for Lorenzo to shake, which he did. Alycia let them keep talking while she walked around. There were so many things in which she was interested in that mansion. She could have spent hours there, just to visit. Unfortunately, Alec ended up grabbing her arm to lead her out. She didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Lorenzo, she was already outside, guided by the Inquisitor. They walked outside for some time, Alec still leading the girl. She had her hands in her pockets, looking around as she let herself be guided.

“I have a question for you” wondered the Inquisitor, stopping to face her. “Are you and your… Parabatai good at tracking?”

“You have a Parabatai, too, why are you asking me?” replied the girl, frowning.

“I’ve seen Thomas and you. I don’t know what you’re hiding from us, but there is so much more than you care to admit. Your bond is more than just Parabatai, I don’t know how yet. Could you possibly track something really big?”

“Like what?”

“Could you?” insisted Alec. “Could Thomas and you do that?”

Alycia lowered her eyes. In her experience, Thomas and she could pretty much do anything, if they decided to do it. There was only one thing that was impossible for them. That one thing they both wanted more than anything in the world, yet out of their reach for some stupid reason, probably. Although, there was something else blocking her for years. Thomas might be able to get in, break her walls like he always had. Something was missing. Someone. She raised her eyes to fall back on Alec. He was waiting for her answer. She simply shrugged.

“Together, we can do anything.”


	7. Chapter 7.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Rosya Gorber, and making promises.

Chapter Seven.

Isabelle felt stuck in her office. She had been here since she woke up, as a direct order from her superior -who was none other than her big brother- she was there all day long. Of course, she could walk around in the Institute, go to the armoury, the ops centre, or even the training room, but nowhere felt like she could be there. She loved to be the Head of the Institute, having a say in everything and people actually following her opinions and orders; but today she was lonely. Everyone was out in the city chasing demons or fallen angels; and she found herself locked up in her golden prison. Her only distraction was Magnus. The Warlock had woken up early -did he wake Alec up or did Alec wake him up, she didn’t know- and came straight away to start his researches on the Original Vampire.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t heard much about him, and there was no mention of such a creature in any of his magic books, nor his oldest belongings. Using his magic was the only way they had, connecting it to the technology of the Institute, but it had been leading nowhere for the moment. So, Isabelle was back to square one, alone and having nothing to do. Sometimes, she felt like calling her mom, just so she could come by and have a chat, to pass the time. She didn’t want to bother her, though. Unlike her, Maryse had a job to take care of, and she was probably busy at that time. Isabelle was stuck there. She had decided pretty early that she should have a chat with Alec to let her get on the field, no matter how she could deal with every information from the Institute, it didn’t feel like her place to be with everything going on.

She was pacing around the room, holding her whip in a hand and a sword in the other. She made it swing, looking straight in front of her. All her friends were busy, doing something she should be helping them with. She sat on the floor, looking at the ceiling; then she got up and started walking again. She had to try thinking about a plan of attack against their enemies. Better ways to take them. Alec said he had a plan; he had spent a lot of time with Thomas and Alycia. That seemed weir, especially since he didn’t really appreciate the French envoy. The check-up came back clean, he was legit. Something still felt off, though.

Isabelle was trying to wrap her mind around all of it when she saw Magnus standing at the door. It took a moment for her to regain her balance; she realised he was there and put her toys back where they belonged. She smiled nicely and tried to act professional. He frowned but made no comment.

“Can I help you with something Magnus?” asked Isabelle, glad to have someone to talk with.

“Well, I was hoping I could take a break from… researching” he replied, walking slowly towards the couch to lie down on it. “I do believe my head is going to explode if I don’t stop for a minute or two.”

“And you came here, why?” wondered Isabelle, unsure.

“Because it’s the only peaceful room, of course! Everywhere else is full of working people!” he complained, staring at the ceiling.

Isabelle frowned, somewhat offended by the Warlock’s words. He assumed she wasn’t working at all. Well, she wasn’t but hearing it was more hurtful than thinking it. She blinked a few times to try and concentrate. Isabelle had no idea what to say. She had to admit it was hard enough to be stuck there, she didn’t need anyone to remind her how little she was doing for the team. Sometimes, giving the orders wasn’t at all the fun part.

“So, are you any close to find the Original Vampire? That’s the job you should be doing” said the girl, trying to make him feel the same way he had made her feel, but it was pointless, the Warlock was already aware of anything you could try to tell him.

“Let me tell you one thing, my dear Isabelle, it’s much easier to find someone when you know who you’re looking for” responded Magnus, playing with his hands, eyes closed.

“We know who we’re looking for” protested Isabelle, getting closer to stand over the Warlock.

“A vampire. How does that help? There are millions of them around the world. Is it a he or a she? Neither or both? Too many possibilities, too great a range. I’m good, you could even say I’m great, but this is a lot, give me some time.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes, shoving Magnus’ legs off the couch to sit next to him. They were both waiting for the others to come back, hopefully with more information that they had gathered. Isabelle thought about the events. In no time: Clary had come back; Raphael too and as a vampire; they had met Alycia’s Parabatai; they were looking for none other than Lucifer and his Originals; things were simply crazy. What was going on? Demons running around in the city, killing no one, attacking whoever they found. What was the point of them? Were they really just a diversion for Lucifer to create a new Edom? Could he do that? There was indeed something bothering her more than just this: if the Prince of Hell was able to create a realm out of nowhere just for the sake of it, how could they hold him?

Even just the thought of having the Originals somewhere in the Institute didn’t seem like a good idea to Isabelle. The best thing to do was probably to hand them over to the Clave. Alec and Magnus would escort them to Idris. The only thing that mattered to her was the fact that the Original Vampire could turn Raphael into a mundane again; maybe the same thing could happen for Simon. They might have a shot at growing old together, share a lifetime. At the thought, a smile grew on her face. She almost forgot the danger, the risks, and all the issues that could come from it; just at the idea she could have Simon for her all life, seeing him age, having his children, that would cover it all.

“What will we do if we find Lucifer?” suddenly asked Magnus, bringing the woman back to the present.

“Well, I’m guessing we won’t be able to hold him here, nor will we be allowed. He should be heading back to Idris, I believe. Should they find him, Alec and I will make the best decision for all of us” she replied, erasing her smile, losing the daydream she was having.

“No one is aware that we are looking for him. Maybe we can hold him a bit here, I should be able to put some wards up that even a Prince of Hell can’t break without working on it.”

Magnus decided to sit, ready to get up and go start working on the said wards. However, Isabelle put a hand on his leg, keeping him on the couch.

“What is it, Isabelle?” asked the warlock, concerned.

“I am more worried about the Originals. They are so old, they are probably extremely strong, and I bet they’ve seen the inside of every prison there is. How can we convince them to help us?”

“We will make them. We have people that are pretty good at convincing others, wouldn’t you say?”

Isabelle smiled at the Warlock. He was right, of course. Since they were kids, Alec, Jace and her were always finding ways around interdictions, using words to their advantage. She was about to answer when Underhill came into her office, not even taking time to knock, which surprised Isabelle more than anything.

“Sorry, to interrupt, Ma’am” said the security guard, standing still. “Thomas and Raphael just came back in, with Simon and Luke. They brought someone back and are heading right now to the cells.”

Isabelle and Magnus got up at the same time and followed Underhill to the lower level, leading to the Institute’s prison. They ran to catch up with their friends, who were already throwing their prisoner into one of the cells. Isabelle wanted to ask what it was all about, but she stared at the prisoner instead. It was a woman, she had a fair skin, bright shiny eyes, long dark hair and a fierce look. The Shadowhunter was mesmerised by her ageless beauty, she could probably stay there and look at her for the rest of the day, and the next one, and for a very long time. However, Simon walked by her, making Isabelle look at him.

“She’s a vampire, probably old and visibly powerful” stated Raphael, staring at the prisoner. “She led us into a trap, we were ambushed by demons. Fortunately, Luke and Simon were nearby to help us” continued the vampire, without blinking.

“I decided to take her here, I hope it’s okay with you?” said Luke, his hands on his waist, his eyes locked on Isabelle, who was simply nodding.

“I strongly advised against it, Ma’am. We do not know the first thing about that woman and…” started Thomas, staring at Luke with a great intensity; however, he got interrupted by Magnus, who stepped forward.

“May I?” he asked. “If we are interested in knowing more about her, maybe we should ask her questions instead of talking about her while she stands right there, listening to all of it.”

Indeed, the prisoner had her arms crossed and seemed sincerely annoyed by those who had caught her. Her eyes were fixed on the others, who had stopped talking to gauge the woman. She didn’t seem bothered more than that, waiting for the questions to hit her. No one spoke for a while, until the rest of the team came in. Alec walking in first, Alycia on his tail. Jace and Clary arrived soon after. Most of the Downworlders helping were still on the job, but Maia came in and joined the Shadowhunters.

“Who’s that?” immediately asked Jace, frowning as he looked her up from head to toe.

“We don’t know” answered Luke, shrugging.

“Didn’t you ask?” questioned Alec, irritated.

“We forgot” replied Simon, his eyes fixed on the woman.

“Okay, well, snap out of it, idiots!” shouted Alycia, clapping her hands to wake everyone up.

It felt to them as if they had been asleep for a few minutes, but when they realised it, they were back. Magnus had a puzzled look on his face, frustrated. He walked towards the cell and unlocked it, so they could all hear each other. The woman watched him do that, but did not speak, nor did she move. Only her eyes followed Magnus’ every move, so much that Alec snapped his finger, trying to catch her attention, but she kept on staring. She looked at everyone, thoroughly as if she wanted to find their weaknesses. Finally, Thomas got tired of her games.

“Who are you?” he asked, somewhat angry.

Alycia put her hand on Thomas’ arm to warn him not to go too far. Not only he wasn’t in his own Institute, but he also wasn’t really invited in. He came as an envoy, sent from Lyon. New-York never asked him to come. He had no right whatsoever to act as his belonged. The prisoner smirked at the situation, she understood what was going on, and she seemed to enjoy it quite a lot.

“My name is Rosya Gorber. I am an envoy from the Denver clan in Colorado. I have been sent here after we monitored those demon attacks. I was only supposed to be here and make sure everything was under control” the woman was speaking clearly, calmly, kindly.

Simon was looking around, trying to see if anyone believed it or if they were all doubtful as he was. Maia caught his stare and looked at him to let him know she was feeling the same way. Everyone else was just fully absorbed by Rosya’s story.

“How long have you been here?” asked Alec, as if he were not affected by her words.

“Three days. I have been watching you; all of you. I decided that you were doing okay on your own, I was about to go back home.”

“Why did you lead us into a trap?” question Raphael, still pissed about that.

“It wasn’t my intention” protested Rosya, getting closed to the glass window. “I was trapped as well. I should have run, but someone caught me up and l had to hide as well. I was led there, just the same as you.”

No one made a comment; Isabelle rubbed her forehead, wondering how everything just happened this way. She looked at Alycia, who was strongly focusing on Rosya, she was stoic.

“We will have to confirm your story. In the meantime, I’m not letting you wander in this Institute. You will stay here” asserted Alec, arms crossed. “Did you see the person who led you into the trap?”

“Yes. He was somewhat tall, dark hair, perceiving blue eyes. He had this attitude, something majestic, royal, almost divine. He scared me to the bone.”

Alycia looked away for a second, and rolled her eyes, sighing. She shook her head. Thomas noticed her behaviour and frowned at her. The girl simply shrugged at her Parabatai before going straight next to Alec. She grabbed his shoulder, making him glanced at her.

“What?” he asked, almost pissed.

“That’s Lucifer” replied the girl, crossing her arms, annoyed.

“How can you be so sure? Can’t he change appearance or something?” question Simon, excited.

“I’m sure” asserted Alycia. “That’s him, that’s Lucifer. He’s here. We were right.”

Rosya frowned, looking up and down at the French girl. She had a grin on her face, it was disturbing how comfortable she acted. The turned off the sound system and left the place; it was all they could ask her for the moment. They had to get in touch with Colorado, find a way to clear her before anything else. She didn’t seem surprised by the mention of Lucifer, which was unsettling for the Shadowhunters. Alec ordered for everyone to go back to their lives. Raphael and Maia left the Institute as soon as they could. Isabelle went back to her office, accompanied by Simon. Jace took Clary by the arm, leading her probably to the training centre. They spent most of their time there. Alec and Magnus left as well, with Luke, leaving Alycia and Thomas alone; both staring at the prisoner. The Parabatai were both standing next to each other, not talking. At some point, they shared a look and didn’t say anything but turned around at once.

“So, what do they know?” asked Thomas while they were walking in the corridors.

“That’s really the first thing you want to ask me?” replied the girl with a smirk.

“I don’t want to divulge your identity by mistake” laughed the boy.

The walked side by side, Alycia leading since she knew her way around, unlike Thomas. He was a quick learner, but he wasn’t really paying much attention at the building. He only cared about his Parabatai. He hadn’t seen her in too long a time, he wanted to enjoy every second they had. The Clave might just walk in a separate them again. He would fight for it, to keep what they had back, but there was not much they could be doing.

“They know what they need, the basics. Alycia Cielli, Shadowhunter from Lyon” started the girl while Thomas was nodding. “They also happen to know I’m one of the best soldiers they have.”

“So, you’re not the frivolous young lady you used to be?” chuckled the boy. “And you trust them, but not that much?”

“I don’t want to put their lives in danger. I care about them, and I trust them with my life. I want to tell them everything, you know. They’re just not ready.”

Thomas kept on walking until they arrived in front of Alycia’s door. She opened it and invited the boy in. She sat on her bed, followed by her Parabatai after he took a walk around the room. He smiled all the way, glancing at Alycia’s belongings. There were a few things he had known before, but most of it was all new. Actually, the room wasn’t so full, it was as if she didn’t want to settle. As he was sitting down, he glared at the girl like it was the first time he saw her.

“Yeah, it’ll be a lot to take in” he approved. “They seem to like you and trust you. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“It was a lie, last time you said that” answered Alycia, almost smiling. “Why do you do that, by the way? Saying stupid things that are not accurate at all and calling them lies?” she frowned and stared at Thomas. “It’s like you’ve been doing it for as long as I’ve known you, but I never understood why. It’s kind of silly, you know?”

The boy laughed out loud. It was indeed a thing of his. He could say things that were wrong just for the sake of adding “it’s a lie” or “I lied” right after. He had been doing it for years, and he found it just as amusing as the first day. He shook his head, still smiling. Thomas got up, hands in his pocket, slowly walking towards the door.

“Well, it makes you smile” simply responded the boy.

He walked through the door, leaving the girl on her own. Alycia sat on her bed for some time, thinking. Did it really make her smile? All the time? Maybe, she liked hearing him say those stupid things. It made everything feel better. Somehow, it could soften any situation. She enjoyed his silly talks; she had missed it a lot. However, at the moment exhaustion was too strong for her to think too much. She had to sleep, or her brain would fry. That’s why she decided to let go of her thoughts, and went straight into bed, to enjoy a nice night. Unfortunately for her, it’s not at all what happened. As soon as she closed her eyes, she was drowned into a nightmare.

At first, she was walking near a lake, the sun was shining, birds were singing, the heat felt comforting, all was well. She wasn’t alone. Even though her head wouldn’t turn to see who was walking by her side, she could feel another heart beat close to her. However, something was off, as if the two heartbeats were coming from her. Someone was for sure by her side, but it was like being with a ghost, a presence and nothing more. There was something strangely familiar about it. Then, she started feeling a third heartbeat. It was like a conflicted situation, as if the three hearts could beat along as well as apart. The situation seemed equally as peaceful as hurtful. She did not understand what she felt, but she got no time to question it much longer, the landscape changed.

Suddenly, she found herself in darkness. It was hot, but not at all comfortable anymore, she was sweaty and sticky. She tried to shake off the feeling, but it was more than that. She had the impression she was surrounded by fire, but she couldn’t see the flames. She suffocated in this place; she coughed a lot. At some point, she fell on her knees. Once again, the girl felt a presence with her, but instead of being peaceful and warm as it was before, it was clingy and oppressing. She hated the atmosphere around her. As if a million needles were stabbing her, in the centre of her vulnerability.

She was trying to find a way out of it when she saw. Two eyes were staring at her. Their colour was extraordinary, made of all the shades of blue. He was standing tall, right in front of her. She thought she was going to melt under his stare; he exuded power and respect. She got on her feet, even though she had to fight everything pushing on her shoulders to do so. The man’s face lighted up with a crocked smile, but he didn’t move an inch. He kept his eyes on her. Alycia stood up, as if she were challenging the man. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.  
Alycia woke up, sweating and panting. Clary was sitting next to her, looking at the girl, worried. Once the French girl caught her breath, the red-haired put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Alycia frowned, staring at the other girl. A lot passed through her mind, but she couldn’t say anything. She closed her eyes for a second, making sure she was alright and in a good situation. Dreams like that had happened before, it wasn’t her first-time having nights as turbulent as this one. However, it was the first time someone was there when she woke up. Someone that wasn’t Thomas. Clary kept her hand on Alycia’s shoulder. She really wanted her to feel better, so she rubbed her back a little. She wanted to be wary of the French girl, but there was a weird connection between them both. The red-haired didn’t like it so much, but at the moment, it felt right.

“I heard you scream” justified Clary. “Are you okay?” she asked, trying to be as nice as possible.

“I’ve been better” answered Alycia, scratching her forehead, trying to dig off her headache.

“Do you want me to get someone?” wondered the Fairchild, worried.

“No, it can wait till morning.”

“Are you sure?” replied Clary with a smile, before getting up. “I don’t mind.”

Alycia started lying back on the bed. However, as she stared at the ceiling, she didn’t feel right at all. She wanted to leave, to run away and escape this life. The girl wanted to find Thomas and flee with him. He wasn’t the only one she wanted to be with, but he was the only one she had left. Or, maybe not. She quickly sat back on the sheets, grabbing Clary by the wrist.

“We don’t know each other all that well” started Alycia, almost like an apology for her gesture, “but could you stay with me, please?” she asked, looking down.

“Of course,” stated Clary, sitting back down on the bed.

The French girl laid her head on the other’s arm, grabbing it as if her life depended on it. The idea of sleeping made Alycia nervous, knowing now that he could just walk around in her dreams. Lucifer was getting closer to her, and there was probably nothing to stop him. His last words were echoing in her mind, “I’ll see you soon” he chanted.


	8. Chapter Eight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A game of Q&A but where's the truth, though?

Chapter Eight.

When she woke up in the morning, Clary was alone in Alycia’s bed. She shook her head, not believing she slept so long and so well for once. She tried to hear if anyone else was in the room, bathroom or nearby, but she was all alone, the French girl had left the place. Clary decided to take her time to get up and walked slowly towards the operation centre. Once she arrived there, she realised pretty much everyone was already here, including Alycia who was talking to Alec. It was weird for the red-haired, the Inquisitor had always been tough to her; she knew it was because she came between him and Jace, but it took Alec a very long time before trusting her. She thought it weird that Alycia was confident enough to go straight to him to confide. Especially when Thomas, who she seemed close to, was right there, next to her. Did he know everything already? As she looked at him, she saw that he didn’t seem to care all that much. Maybe he was in the loop, maybe he was made aware of all there was. Their bond seemed to extend further that the Parabatai rune, and yet they weren’t appearing so close. Clary was extremely curious about their relationship.

However, at the time being, Clary didn’t bother trying to find an explanation, she went next to Jace. He smiled at her as usual and put his arm around her shoulder when she was close enough for him to kiss her forehead. She was glad to be a part of it all again. She was once more treated as their equal, and that was all she needed. She was with her family. At the thought, Clary lowered her eyes. For a minute, she had a family: a mother, a father, even a brother; and in another dimension, she simply had it all, minus the brother. Sometimes, she hoped she had stayed there, but this life was hers and she was happy to be here. Looking around, Clary didn’t see her best friend. Maybe for once, he wasn’t there. It was rare to see him away from Isabelle lately. Nonetheless, she couldn’t ignore the fact that he was a vampire. No matter how things were changing, Downworlders were still not completely accepted at the Institute. Some old-fashioned Shadowhunters had issues with the recent rules. Neither Simon nor Isabelle cared all that much about the judgements, but they couldn’t just rub their happiness in everyone’s faces every day.  
In the corner of her eye, Clary saw Alec nod and he put his hands on the table, as if he were ready to speak but he didn’t say anything. A Shadowhunter Clary didn’t know or remember came into the office to give Isabelle a note. She nodded as well, sighing. The Head of the Institute walked towards her brother to whisper in his ear. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He sighed as well, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. He slapped the table; not only from frustration but also to get everyone’s attention. Only Shadowhunters were there. Jace, Clary, Luke, Thomas, Alycia, Alec and Isabelle. Finest group there was, apparently.

“Okay guys listen up” started the Inquisitor, both his hands on the desk.

He patiently waited for everyone around to keep quiet and actually pay attention to him. It didn’t even take a second, they were all used to that.

“We got word from Colorado, that girl in the cells seems to be who she claims. Rosya whatever from the Denver clan, monitored by the Institute there. Still, I don’t want to let her go for now. She’s come in our city without being allowed to, that’s good enough reason for me to keep her locked up a bit longer” he took a break for everyone to let that sink in. Once he was sure all were listening again, he kept on going “we still have work to do, though. I will give word to Magnus that he should keep on searching for the Original Vampire; and today, I’ll be helping him.”  
Alycia gave him a surprised look, frowning as she was very unhappy about that decision. Alec raised a hand towards her, announcing that he was going to answer her silent question.

“Lucifer is going to find you; we’re not going to find him. Plus, I need you to do something else. Jace, Clary, Isabelle, Luke you’re going after the demons. Take some Downworlders with you.”

“Raphael isn’t going to help” protested Isabelle before Alec could finish his speech.

“We don’t need him” commented Jace.

Clary, Luke and the Herondale went out of the room, they had to start working as soon as possible. Searches would provide more efficient at night, but the daily patrols were also important. Plus, it took time for them to get ready, proper clothing and having their weapons ready. Isabelle stayed in her office to listen to the rest of her brother’s orders. Everyone had a part to play in this game.

“Alycia, I have a task for you. You’re not going to like it, but I need you to do it, anyway” said Alec.

“Alright, shoot” replied the girl, crossing her arms, waiting for the assignment.

“I want you to go back downstairs to question that Rosya chick. If Raphael’s right and she’s an old vampire, then she might have information about the Original Vampire or even Lucifer” he let the girl brood over his orders for a minute. “Then, according to what you gather, you’ll find and fill in Raphael. He’s the one we’re trying to help, the least he could be doing is participate. Convince him.”

“Oh really? And, how’s Lucifer going to find me if I’m interrogating some ancient vampire and looking for a lost one across the city?” protested Alycia. “That doesn’t sound like a great plan, if you don’t mind me saying, mister Inquisitor.”

“I do mind you saying” scoffed Alec. “Lucifer doesn’t need to find you today, however, we do need answers as soon as possible” he took a deep breath. “And, I feel like we’re going to need Raphael sooner than later. Might as well get him on our side now.”

They shared a look. Alec wasn’t going to back down and since he was the boss, Alycia would have to follow his orders. Unless she decided to go against it, but it wasn’t like her to break her word. She ended up nodding towards the Inquisitor. She didn’t like the idea of being given orders she didn’t approve; nonetheless, she had promised to answer to him, and she would always keep her promises.

“Not to sound selfish, but… What about me?” asked Thomas with a grin.

Alec glanced at him from head to toe. He gauged the boy as if it were the first-time that he saw him. Not a thing had changed since then, he didn’t like Thomas. There were too many secrets around him, too many unanswered questions. He hated that grin on the boy’s face, like nothing could get to him. Somehow, the Inquisitor felt like it was right: nothing to get to him, nothing that wasn’t Alycia. For the first time since he had met her, Alec had the impression that it was also right for her. Nothing could hurt, break, destroy her more than something happening to Thomas. He should understand the feeling since he had a Parabatai himself; but there was more to that, something he couldn’t quite put words on just yet.

“Whether you join the patrol, or you go on the assignment with Alycia, it’s your call. Welcome to the New-York Institute.”

The French boy immediately turned to face his Parabatai. She smiled at him. The good old days were coming back to life, days that seemed long gone and erased. It wasn’t like the time they had spent, when they felt whole and good. It felt like before that; when it was just the two of them against the whole world. Thomas stretched his hands for Alycia to grab, which she did. Both Isabelle and Alec were looking at them, trying to figure out what they were exactly.

“Try not to destroy anything” commented Alec, hands on his hips.

“It’s been a while since we last did that” replied the boy with a smirk. “You don’t have to worry, though. Alycia cut off the time bomb, probably for good.”

The girl’s smile disappeared as she lifted her eyes towards him. She looked like that simple sentence hurt her more than it should have. Thomas knew the impact of his words, of course, and he said it on purpose. Alec saw that and frowned, but since Alycia didn’t say anything, it wasn’t his place to comment. He shook his head and gestured for them to leave Isabelle’s office. The siblings looked at each other.

“They’re something. What do you think they’re hiding so badly?” asked Isabelle.

“I don’t know” replied her brother, shrugging. “I hope it’s not life threatening.”

Thomas and Alycia were already long gone when the two were having that conversation. Walking down the corridors, finding their way to the sub-levels. Their first mission was to question the vampire. They had never been asked to interrogate anyone, especially not together. Actually, no matter where they were, the Institutes never gave them other assignments than fighting demons or Downworlders to insure Mundanes’ security. It was a first for them, and they didn’t intend to mess it up. Together, they took the elevator to go down. They felt like it was a new beginning.

“Let’s do ‘good cop’ and ‘bad cop’ together!” suggested Thomas, very excited. “In which, of course, I am the good and seductive cop, and you’re the other one.”

“What?” replied Alycia, scoffing at the idea. She shook her head.

They arrived at the cells’ level and walked towards Rosya’s. Underhill was still there, watching over her, looking tired. Alycia told him that he could go upstairs and get some rest; and ask for someone else to replace him down there in a few minutes; after their interrogation was over. The prisoner looked extremely satisfied to have new people coming to visit her. At first, Alycia simply stared at Rosya, leaving Thomas hanging there. He stood tall, arms crossed, looking straight in from of him in a serious way. After a while, the French girl deactivated the soundproof equipment that was forbidding communication between the two of them. Rosya kept on smiling.

“What owes me the pleasure?” asked the vampire, visibly glad to have company.

“There is no pleasure in this. I am here only to ask you some questions” coldly replied Alycia.

“Ask away, please.”

“Where are you from?” started the other one, still staring.

“I told you that already, but I would be happy to oblige. I am from Denver in the state of Colorado, part of the United States of America, are you satisfied?” answered Rosya with an ironic tone.

“Where are you really from?” protested Alycia, not blinking. “You are a vampire, you’re definitely not new at this, you’re at least a few hundred years old, if not more. I get that you now live in Denver, or around, but I do not believe you are from Denver, so where?”

Thomas looked at his Parabatai, a proud smile on his face. It felt like old times. Plus, he liked having nothing else to do but watch. His skills had a better use in battle, not in diplomatic matters.

“I’m sure you feel very clever right now” started the vampire with a smirk. “I have no memories of having a home, apart from Denver” continued Rosya, defensive. “I am from nowhere and if I were, I just don’t remember it. I’m too old for that” she gained her balance back, going back to her neutral face. “I like the way you think, though. You seem like a clever Shadowhunter” she glanced at her as if she knew something more and winked. Alycia shook her head.

“Whatever” grunted the girl. “Why are you here exactly? I know, you said you’re here to make sure we were okay in spite of the demon attacks. I’m sure you have ulterior motive, though. I bet you are important in the Denver clan, mostly because you’re so old, that makes you valuable. They wouldn’t have sent you for such a pity mission.”

“They said they’ve sent me, then?” she seemed thoughtful, as if she were surprised by the news. “So, you’ve got word from Denver. That’s good. I cannot tell you why I am here. Even if I did, you would not believe a word.”

Alycia rolled her eyes, sighing. She gave an exasperated look at Thomas, who simply shrugged and raised his eyebrows, knowing very well her Parabatai was the best at getting answers.

“Humour me, will you?” required Alycia, staring back at Rosya.

“They needed someone to make sure the demon attacks were located in New-York and that they weren’t spreading to other cities or states. Although, I’ve lived long enough to know that demons don’t just come over the Earth for dull pleasure. I came here to find whoever was behind this.”

“And you realised it was Lucifer. Anyone would’ve run away, so why didn’t you?”

A grin lighted up Rosya’s face for a split second, but she didn’t say anything; she stared at Alycia, not caring to answer that peculiar question. However, the French girl started smiling, she took a step closer to the cell, in which the prisoner didn’t move an inch.

“You were looking for him. You knew it was him from the beginning, or at least you had a hunch. You came here to find Lucifer, but why?” Alycia started walking around, giving it a more attentive thought. “You want to go back. You want to relinquish your life as a vampire and go back to have a life as a mundane.”

Rosya said nothing, but she seemed to be thinking about her options; whereas Thomas got more and more interested. Alycia took another step closer, so sure to understand everything.

“Why do you want him to turn you back, why giving up immortality, speed and strength? You surely don’t have any family left-” started the girl before Rosya interrupted her.

“Exactly!” she shouted as if she had found her answers; she took a second to think about what she wanted to say. “I don’t have any family left, any friends that actually care for me, for that matter. I have lived for so long, I have had hundreds of lifetimes, enough to keep you busy a millennium. I must leave a city after a while because people die, even my fellow vampires murdered by you Shadowhunters. Your pity lives matter because they are so short. My live doesn’t matter. I just want to experience it. Have a family and friends to grow old with. Memories that will stay in my head until I die. That’s why I want to find Lucifer, that’s why I want him to turn me back.” She stopped to catch her breath; her eyes locked on Alycia. Only the glass of the cell was separating the two girls. “Do you have any more of your stupid questions?”

“How did you find him so easily?” questioned Thomas, puzzled.

“Why didn’t you look for the Original Vampire?” asked Alycia at the same time.

“I knew where to look” replied Rosya to the first question, “and I don’t see what good it would’ve done to search for the Original.”

“The Original can give the vampires their mundane life back again.”

“Where did you hear that?” laughed the prisoner.

“I can do research on my own.”

“Whatever, I want to be human and Lucifer is the safest way to do so. Are you going to let me out?”

There was something off with everything Rosya was saying, Alycia was sure of it. Thomas felt the same thing, as if the vampire was just saying what she needed to convince the Shadowhunters and get them on her side. The Parabatai shared a look and decided at the same time that they should leave. They turned on the soundproof system before going to the elevator. They both went in, closing the door and pushing the button to get to the first floor.

“So, do we trust her?” asked Thomas as they reached the main level. “I don’t like her.”

“Yeah, there’s something weird. I don’t think she’s telling us her whole story. Then again, nor are we” she replied, glancing at the boy.

He made a face and sighed. She was somehow right, of course. They were keeping things form everyone around them, but it couldn’t be the same. They weren’t lying, they were hiding some sensitive facts, just in order to protect themselves and others. Most of it belonged to a story they’d rather forget. It was a problem for another time. Together, they walked out. Alycia grabbed something from her pocket that Thomas didn’t see. He tried to take her hand to see what she was holding, but she took a step back frowning.

“What is it?” asked the boy, smirking. “What are you holding? Let me see!”

“Nothing important, nosy!” replied Alycia, shaking her head. “It’s Raphael’s ring. Unless you already know where he’s hiding, we need it to find him.”

She opened her hand to let her Parabatai take a look at it. It seemed to be a family ring, or even a signet ring. Thomas squinted.

“How did you get that?” he wondered.

“He left it behind” responded Alycia, avoiding looking at her Parabatai.

She locked the ring in her hand, activating her tracking rune. She put back her stele in her pocket, but Thomas was still staring at her. He wouldn’t leave until he had answers, but the girl had nothing to say. He crossed his arms.

“Let me rephrase: where and when did you get it?” corrected the boy.

“What? Those are stupid questions.”

“That you’re avoiding!” continued Thomas, irritated. “Alycia, why won’t you tell me? The fact that you keep secrets from them, I get it. But keeping secrets from me? Me?!” he took her arm to make   
her look at him. “This is real, Alycia. I’m here, I’m not leaving, we’re back together. I won’t let anything, or anyone take you away from me anymore, okay?”

“I know.”

She looked at him straight in the eye, squeezing his arm. Then, she proceeded in finding the vampire she was asked to look for. Her tracking rune worked efficiently, and in no time, they were both walking down the streets of the city. Thomas was simply following his Parabatai, looking around as he was visiting the city. He was still not familiar with it; he had spent much time inside the Institute but wasn’t really allowed outside. He didn’t like New-York all that much. From what he had seen, it was just another city. Thinking it like that, he realised he should like Paris; and he didn’t. Lyon was slightly better. The only city he felt good in was London. But it was probably just because of the company that he enjoyed his time there. He sighed, too lost in his mind to realise that Alycia had stopped. He joined her in front of a building looking abandoned.

“He’s in there?” judged Thomas, hands in his pockets.

“You don’t have to come in” suggested the girl, grinning.

“Oh yeah, so you can share more secrets with dear Raphael?” joked the French boy. “Whatever, I’ll wait here, but be quick about it. I don’t like this.”

“Alright” said Alycia, frowning at her Parabatai. “It won’t take long, anyway. I hope, at least.”

She took and squeezed Thomas’ hand before going in the warehouse. It was really dark in this huge room. It took a few seconds for her eyes to get used to the low luminosity. It was the perfect cliché place to find a runaway vampire. Alycia didn’t understand why Raphael was on the run, but he refused to go back to the clan with Simon, enjoying his time on his own for some reason. The girl observed the place, which was covered with dust. That made her sneeze.

“Bless you” replied a voice from a corner of the huge room.

Alycia turned around quickly, not to be surprised by the vampire’s speed. He was standing right in front of him, half in the shadows. He looked at his guest for a time, then he sat on the floor, leaning against a wall. He seemed down, depressed. He hated being a vampire again, and he hated running away almost as much as he hated depending on the Shadowhunters.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, staring at the girl.

“I have been sent to give you some information on that Rosya person” replied Alycia.

“That’s not what I meant.”

She frowned, suddenly uncomfortable. She realised he wanted to know why she was in New-York. It was actually quite hard to explain, especially to someone who didn’t know who she was. She took a deep breath before moving towards the vampire in order to sit next to him. He carefully watched her gestures. The girl sighed and shifted her eyes on Raphael.

“Let’s just say I felt like it was the place to be for me” she said, smiling. “Can we move on to what brings me in this mansion of yours right now?”

Raphael scoffed and stared in front of him, there wasn’t much in there, old objects broken or out of use. He stayed there because it was easy, no one would come find him there. Except for Shadowhunters. He frowned and looked once more at Alycia.

“How did you find me, anyway?”

She bit her lip and reached for something in her pocket. She took the ring off and showed it to Raphael. The vampire frowned and stretched his hand to grab the jewel but backed off instead. He hadn’t seen it in years, it was something from the past. He glared at Alycia, who was staring at him without blinking. The vampire scoffed; he knew where she got that ring. He joined his hands on his knees. He wouldn’t take his ring back.

“Keep it. Could prove useful” he suggested. “So, tell me what you came here for.”

“Right” replied Alycia, putting the ring back in her pocket. “Rosya has been cleared from the Denver clan. She’s just an old vampire looking for Lucifer so she can have a mundane life. She’s told   
me that looking for the Original Vampire was useless” she took a break to think. “Magnus will keep on looking for them, because we can never be too sure. But it’s safer to find Lucifer as well. We   
could use your help, you know?”

“Yeah, well. Not by day.”

He got up and left to go somewhere else in the warehouse. Alycia was left alone in there, when she didn’t even want to be. She stood as well after a few seconds and joined Thomas outside. The boy was waiting next to the door, leaning against the wall. When he saw the girl, he stretched his hands for her to grab, and they went on their way.


	9. Chapter 9.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly about vampires I guess.

Chapter Nine.

It was the first time in years that he wasn’t doing everyone’s bidding. It was the first time he could make decisions on his own, not following other people’s orders. He had not been free like he was now in a long time. He never thought that it could be possible again. He had been born and raised to do as he was told, to be a perfect soldier, to never question his superiors. His superiors weren’t here now. He should have felt more comfortable than anywhere else, yet, he didn’t. He missed France.  
Thomas couldn’t sleep, he just laid on his bed with his eyes wide open. He had been awake for a few hours. He decided to just stay there, having nothing better to do. Since he had arrived, the only thing he had been asked to do was chasing demons. Or he could stay with Alycia, but he didn’t enjoy it as much as he used to. The girl had changed since she came in New-York, she had changed since their last time together. She wasn’t the Shadowhunter she once was. Of course, he knew she had to make compromises to live here, but she was never supposed to get attached to anyone here. She never planned on staying. Somehow, Thomas knew she wasn’t going to stay, or at least she could leave anytime she wanted; but he assumed she wouldn’t come back to Lyon. The most bothering thing about it was that she wouldn’t let him in; as if those two years had broken her. He hated it.

If she were given a reason to stay here, she probably would, though. If not, she would go anywhere else. Given the circumstances, if their story was to be revealed, she would stay. Thomas sighed, after all that happened to the both of them, leaving him behind didn’t seem to be at all a problem. He wasn’t mad at her, he could understand, but he still felt sad. He couldn’t let her go just that easily. He was going to fight for her, the way he always had; and even if that meant stay here, he would do anything to give her a reason to stay.  
She was his Parabatai, his soul-sister, a piece of his heart, his whole being. Somehow, he could live without her, though, he had been doing so for a few years when they had been separated, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to be by her side for as long as possible. He knew how lucky he was to have her in his life. She was more than anyone could imagine, and he knew her by heart. Even if herself didn’t realise it yet, there was more to it than demon attacks here, and that’s why she was here. He couldn’t wait to get into it for real. Chasing demons around was nice, but it wasn’t real action. There was no point to it, just helping the mundanes that couldn’t defend themselves. He wanted to meet that Lucifer, and the Original Vampire. He wanted to be a part of it all. He had been waiting for that to happen for quite some time, it made him anxious.

For now, he was just lying there, thinking, not acting. He didn’t know who he could trust, no one probably. They were all so focused on themselves. They didn’t even try to see the big picture, they kept on thinking about what would happen to them. Looking for Lucifer and the Original just so one of theirs could have his life back, when it could bring and mean so much more to so many. Thomas thought that the only right thing to do would be to transfer the prisoners to the Idris, so that the Clave could take care of them the way they should be handled. Would he be able to convince the others? Maybe he just had to convince one person. Alycia was close to them, they trusted her, if she asked them, they would probably agree. However, she was probably in the same line of thinking. Thomas knew they would have done exactly that same thing during their time together. Maybe he was changed too by those two years; completely.

Before doing anything, they first needed to find Lucifer and that Original. Maybe the other Originals would come to save their own, or to help kill them. That could lead to an enormous war, but those Shadowhunters didn’t care, just for one stupid vampire. He sighed, not believing it was all true. He could just go back to Lyon. He thought about it every single day; and every single day he decided to stay in New-York. He couldn’t just leave. Later on, maybe. For now, he had to join the others. The struggle with the demons wouldn’t just stop. They had so much to do. He got on his feet and changed his outfit so he could do a better job at Shadowhunting. He then went out to find his colleagues but didn’t find anyone. He tried the training room, and the operation centre, there was no one he knew. The last place he checked was Isabelle’s office. Indeed, everyone had gathered there, but no one told him about this meeting. He knocked at the door to let people know he was there. Every head turned to him. He wasn’t a fool, he knew no one liked him -yet.

“Sorry, you want me to go?” he asked on a condescending tone.

“No, come in” replied Isabelle moving her hand to invite him in.

Thomas stood up in a corner, where he could see everyone and be forgotten by all.

“Alright, since we’re all here now, let’s talk about the plan” started Alec.

‘All here’ he said? Thomas looked around. Clary and Jace were here -he rolled his eyes, couldn’t they do anything separated? – as well as Simon, and Maia, the only two who weren’t Shadowhunters; Luke was standing tall, arms crossed, pretty much as usual; of course Isabelle and Alec were here; and Alycia, in another corner of the room. Apparently, the girl didn’t want to be the centre of the attention today. Thomas couldn’t help but think some people were missing. Apart from Raphael, whose absence he enjoyed, Magnus wasn’t here either. It was weird having a meeting without the warlock. The French boy frowned. He hadn’t been at the Institute for long, but it wasn’t like them to hold a conference without their beloved magician.

“We have gathered enough information to try something, I’ve had enough chasing demons around our city” said the Inquisitor.

Thomas smiled at this. He knew where this was going, he had helped with the plan. Not that Alec trusted him all that much, but he trusted Alycia with his life and that meant he had to give the boy a shot as well.

“So, what do you suggest we do, exactly?” asked Maia, clearly unhappy to be here again and being ordered around.

“I’m getting there” he replied, trying not to look too annoyed. “So, with Alycia and Thomas’ help, I have found what I was looking for, and now we’re going to the demons’ nest.”

Everyone started talking at the same time, more or less loudly. Alec didn’t say anything for a while, letting the others complain as much as they wanted. Alycia raised her eyebrows; she had mentioned several times that the plan wasn’t good when the Inquisitor made them track the demons to find their nest. However, the Lightwood boy had decided to take the chance anyway. Eventually, only one voice survived amongst the others. It was Clary’s.

“You want us to just throw ourselves into the demons’ nest? Have you lost your mind, Alec?!” she protested for everyone else.

“Let me put it differently” started the Inquisitor, seriously. “Whether we keep on chasing them, killing one every day just for the sake of it, or we prepare ourselves better and we take them down from the nest and for good.”

At this point, no one talked anymore and a heavy silent reigned in the room. Even Isabelle looked defeated. Maybe Alec was right and that was their best shot. It would take some nerves to do it, though. A few demons, they could handle, but the whole lot might be too much, even for them. They had no idea how many beasts were crawling in there; they didn’t know if bigger monsters were there or not. It could be the best idea like it could be the worse. It was something they had to think about.

“Would you care to elaborate, please?” politely asked Jace, staring at his Parabatai as if he were crazy. “I fail to see how this is going to work” he smiled.

“Sure. We’ll take everyone. Luke, Clary, you Jace, Alycia, Thomas, Isabelle, myself, Simon if you’re willing to come, Maia same goes for you. Anyone we can get is welcome. I also want to take Rosya.”

Another round of shouting. No one agreed with the Inquisitor’s decisions, but he didn’t flinch. He had arguments to his plea: she was a vampire, old, fast, strong. If they could get her to cooperate, she would be an asset on their team. Once again, he waited for everyone to calm down. They eventually shut up, waiting for more explanations.

“Alright. Magnus thinks he can find the Original Vampire.”

Everyone shared the same look. No one could believe anything Alec had said up until now, but it was a mission and they had to carry it out. Maia looked at him, shaking her head. That situation was getting bigger with every day passing by. Maybe it was time to put an end to it.

“Fine, I’ll see if some wolves agree to follow that stupid idea. If there are some, we’ll come, and I’ll lead them. If no one wants to come, you’ll do without us. I am not risking my pack.”

Alec nodded, agreeing with what she stated. He couldn’t ask more of her, or anyone else. He knew perfectly well that his plan was crazy. He didn’t exactly expect anyone to just follow him like that. He wanted everyone to agree with his idea, or at least respect his judgement.

“How are we going to find it?” asked Isabelle, speaking for the first time and surprising everyone.

All eyes turned to her. She was crossing her arms on her chest and looked straight at her brother. That was a question no one thought to ask. The plan seemed so stupid in the first place; they didn’t really care about the details of it. However, Isabelle wanted to know everything.

“How are we going to find the nest, Alec?” she insisted.

“Well” started her brother, biting his lip. “We’ve already found it. Thomas and Alycia used their Parabatai tracking with some demon blood we collected from a black arrow.”

Everyone in the room frowned and looked at both French Shadowhunters. Thomas looked proud, whereas Alycia was shaking her head from the unnecessary attention. Alec got the upper hand again pretty fast. That wasn’t the point of the discussion, details were frivolous. They had to focus on what was about to go down. It wasn’t something they could do lightly. The Inquisitor took a deep breath, so they all could listen again.

“Before we go, we better get ready. Clary and Simon, you’ll both be training until we leave. Thomas, you should go too, you might learn or teach a thing or two; Jace will supervise all of you. Isabelle, you’re in charge of making sure the Clave knows what’s going on. Luke, Alycia and I will go see Rosya, just to make sure she’s on board with this.”

“Can I speak?” asked Simon, getting up from the sofa. “Why do you want that vampire chick to come so badly? From my experience, vampire chicks don’t have it all in there” he asserted, pointing at his head.

“She’s skilled, might come handy. Plus, I hope she’ll lead us to Lucifer” simply answered Alec.

At first, everyone stayed silent, as if something had hit them all at once; but in a second, they all spoke at the same time, yelling. Apparently, Alec’s plan was getting worse by the minute. No one agreed with his ideas. He wanted them to run into their enemies’ lair, but they should also be chasing a Prince of Hell at the same time.

“Not only will we run into a demons’ nest, but we should also have to go after Lucifer! How many other brilliant ideas do you have to get us killed, Alec?” wondered Jace, speaking for everyone.

“That’s all I got for now, sorry to disappoint” he replied, almost smiling.

No one knew what to say. It all seemed completely crazy, even for them. They were all looking at the Inquisitor as if he had lost his mind; How could it be otherwise? They had done stupid things before, but that was high on the list anyway. Especially knowing that no one would be here to back them up. Alec considered himself informed and wouldn’t tell the Clave about his plan. That was something they had to do on their own.

“From what Alycia got out of her, Rosya came to find Lucifer, and she did. It was him she saw before we got to her. I think Lucifer is looking for her, and since we also think he’s looking for Alycia, we have better chances at getting to him” asserted Alec, trying to justify his decisions.

“Are you listening to yourself?” protested Clary. “He wants to find them, meaning he’s not coming unprepared. We will be at his mercy.”

Everyone seemed to agree with her, except for Alycia. The French girl took a few steps forwards to come next to the Inquisitor. Doing so, she dragged everyone’s attention on her. She shrugged.

“It not such a bad idea, actually” she stated.

“What?” replied the others with one voice.

“Lucifer wants to find us, as you said, Clary. Not to kill us, or else we would be dead already. That means he wants us alive, and that means he won’t let us die in the nest.”

“We’re happy for you” sarcastically said Jace. “What about the rest of us?”

“I don’t think he’ll make a difference” replied Alycia, not breaking eye contact. “You’ll be with us and we have to stay alive, we’re a package deal.”

Jace didn’t seem satisfied at all; actually no one seemed satisfied, but Alec was beginning to get tired of these endless protestations. He had given orders, and he intended for them to be followed the way it should. There was no reason for them to comment for longer a time.

“Guys. Things are happening that way and that’s it, okay? Just get ready, you all have your assignments. We’re leaving at five.”

He didn’t wait for anyone to complain again, he left the room; soon followed by Luke and Alycia, who were supposed to go with him. However, he had things to deal with prior to going on mission. Isabelle asked for them all to follow orders as they should. They all left the office, and Thomas went after Jace, Clary and Simon. He’d never felt more like an outsider. Simon and Clary had known each other for most of their lives, they were best friends; Jace and Clary, well, they were what they were; Thomas was just here, in the middle. However, he was surprised to see they didn’t let him out. Well Jace wouldn’t have complained if they had, but Simon included him pretty well. Actually, it felt like they were trying to make him feel like he belonged. They knew Alycia was part of their family now, sort of, and he was a part of her. He wouldn’t leave, might as well be nice to him.

Clary seemed genuine as well, she was a caring human being; which was confusing to Thomas. She was trying to laugh with him and include him. The boy played along, he likes to joke and have fun. However, it was still vain: he still felt like the newbie, the stranger. They were trying too much maybe. Jace was the only one who would try, nor play pretend. He didn’t like the guy, there was something about him. He accepted him just because everyone else did. Had it been only up to him, the boy wouldn’t be here.

Nonetheless, they trained the whole afternoon, until time came for them the time to go on that mission. They all joined in from of the Institute, ready to take some demons down.


	10. Chapter ten.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things remain unsaid.

Rosya accepted to come after some negotiation. Alec warned her that if she tried anything, they wouldn’t hesitate to take her down. She laughed at it and replied it might be fun to try; however, she agreed. Together, they went back to the upper levels of the Institute to get everyone before leaving. The nest was located in an isolated part of the city, where people walked around but never really stopped. That’s where they were heading. Magnus was too busy to help them, fortunately for them, Catarina was here to open a portal leading them straight to the place they needed to be.  
Thomas was glad to see they were quite a few. Simon was here, as well as one of his new vampire friends; Maia came along with two wolves of her pack; and of course, all the Shadowhunters called on the assignment. They were still lacking a warlock or two. He gave a look towards Alycia, more ready than ever, playing with her shuriken. He smiled at the sight of her, they hadn’t been on a mission together for quite some time. That would bring back some old memories. She caught his look and smiled at him. Some things would never change; them together in combat were unstoppable and they knew it. However, things could be even better for them if the truth had been out.

The group went on separate ways to cover more field. They would all go around the entrance and watch it for some time before going in. Jace decided it would be a good idea to knock on the door. It took some time to convince Alec, but he finally succeeded. That’s why the blond guy was walking towards the warehouse’s door in order to simply knock. He had a happy smile on his face and Thomas, from the roof he was waiting on, shook his head. That kid really was an idiot. Clary was walking by his side. The two were making quite a pair; they were dauntless, reckless, but they were good enough to get out of all the trouble they put themselves in. It reminded him of Alycia and him, except she would get them into trouble and Thomas had to fix things up. The girl could perfectly read his mind and she hit him in the ribs, forcing him to focus on the mission.

They were all securing the perimeter, and once that was done, they all signalled it to Jace and Clary so they could proceed. Hand in hand, both of them walked towards the warehouse, smiling happily as if they were going to visit a friend. As they arrived, Jace knocked three times and waited. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Clary looked less confident than before. She asked if they should knock again, and Jace took that decision before anyone could answer. He knocked one more time, and the door opened, forcing the two Shadowhunters to take a few steps back.

A dozen demons came out. Everyone joined Clary and Jace on the ground to fight the beasts off. Thomas played with his sword before attacking the monsters along with the others. He found Alycia in the battle and started fighting by her side. They were like a destructive tornado, killing everything crossing their path. The girl threw her shuriken at her enemies, using her daggers when they were getting to close. It was almost fun; they had found each other again at that precise moment, even though they weren’t whole exactly; they were the Parabatai they had always been. Somehow, the demons were easy to fight off, they tried the bare minimum to save themselves. They wanted to escape more than they wanted to die in battle. That was a strange behaviour, even for them. Someone was probably controlling them from a distance; but where, they couldn’t know.

Thomas suddenly got free from any opponent and took that time to look around. Everyone was defending themselves, pretty well too. It looked like the demons were on the verge of falling, they had nowhere left to run, and they were soon to be defeated. He killed one of them approaching from behind. A few more left and it would be the end. Too soon, the battle ended. Thomas found it very suspicious, but there was nothing to do about it. They all looked around, puzzled. Something felt wrong. Somehow, Rosya didn’t seem that surprised, actually she sighed and shook her head.

“Should we take guesses?” she asked, ironically.

She scoffed as Alec came close to her, taking her by the collar, pushing the vampire against a wall. Everyone was standing by, weapons in hands, ready to defend themselves or protect each other if anything was to happen. Rosya smirked in amusement, looking straight at him.

“You think you can take on me, boy?”

It was funny hearing her say that; from her looks she appeared younger than Alec, but they all knew she weren’t. For that matter, she could be the oldest person they had met. The Inquisitor didn’t lose his balance, nor did he move an inch. He was threatening her with a knife, supported by all his friends behind him, ready to fight her if anything occurred. Rosya kept on laughing, as if everything were just a huge joke. Everybody’s patience was being tested.

“What is going on, here?” asked Isabelle, tired of waiting for answers. “Why are the demons running and what do you know about it?!”

“I do not know anything more than you” replied the vampire. “Should I guess, though, I would say our friend Lucifer is involved in this.”

They all looked around, trying to find a hint of Lucifer’s presence, but it was insanely quiet. That silence surrounding them sounded awfully loud. The city noises were fading in the distance, it felt like they had entered another world, in which they weren’t in control. They surely all had the same feeling, because Thomas turned straight to Alycia.

“Is it possible that Lucifer somehow… isolated us?” he questioned, anxious.

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but she only shrugged, looking at the sky. Then, she faced Rosya, getting close to her, right next to Alec. If herself didn’t have an answer to that question, maybe the vampire did. After all, she was looking for him.

“Can he do that?” she asked.

“Why should I know better than you?” responded Rosya.

Alycia sighed in anger, she felt like hitting the girl, but she turned around to walk, trying to calm down. She took deep breathes. Everyone was on edge after the disaster that just happened. They hoped to get rid of the demons, and instead their enemies ran away. It was a catastrophe. Furthermore, something odd was happening, and no one knew what it really was.

Suddenly, the air became colder. Except for the vampires, they all started shivering. Some of the Shadowhunters activated their heat rune to keep them warm but the temperatures were dropping fast. However, it didn’t last. In a minute, it was hot again. Too hot, maybe. Something was wrong. Eventually, Alec couldn’t hold Rosya against the wall for that long, he had to let go. The vampire didn’t try to run, she knew all too well it was too late. Instead, she tried to hide amongst the others. They all noticed the attempt and sighed in annoyance.

Only a few seconds later, they heard a laughter in the wind. It was dark, croaky, cruel. They distinguished eyes in the evening. It was late already; time was passing by too fast. Those eyes were moving quickly, impossibly fast. They were barely more than two wind-like balls coloured in shades of blue passing through from one place to another, not letting anyone stare at them, see them for too long. However, at some point, they stopped moving. They were just there, in front of them. The group stayed together, ready to react no matter what was coming at them. From those two eyes, a silhouette appeared. 

Out of a mysterious mist, a man took a step closer. His height was average, so as his corpulence, but his face was charming. Dangerously charming, the kind of charms anyone would fall for should they not be careful. Apart from his eyes, he had quite a smile. The whole universe seemed to be written on his face, showing off his beauty. He was smirking, apparently very proud of his dramatic entrance and the effect he had on everyone. De facto, they were all staring at him, in awe. The stranger winked, amused by the situation.

“Cat got your tongue?” he started.

Those simple words seemed to wake everyone up; not in that blank state anymore, all raised their weapons towards the man. He scoffed, chasing the threats with a wave of a hand. He didn’t care at all about the words, arrows and shuriken that could fly to hit him. He started to walk around. More than feeling scared, he mocked them.

“What are you hoping to achieve with that exactly?” he asked, still laughing.

No one talked, mostly because they didn’t know what to say. They weren’t as much in shock as before, but they were still analysing the situation. All happened too fast, and too slow at the same time. They didn’t understand how he got here, nor why exactly. He wasn’t talking about what he wanted. He looked quite glad to be there.

“Well, I guess you have heard of me” said the man with a grin, “but just to be sure, I shall introduce myself anyway: I am Lucifer.”

His opponents didn’t move a muscle, waiting for him to take action. They didn’t know whether he was there to attack them, or simply scare them. In either case, he was a dangerous and powerful creature. They had to be very careful. For the first time since they had left the Institute, Alec regretted not to have Magnus by his side. Maybe the warlock would have been more useful than swords and arrows in that situation. They had to deal with it anyway, there was nothing else they could do but wait and react. Lucifer waited for quite some time, eager to hear someone say something, but no one did. The demon sighed, rolling his eyes and swearing in every language he knew -pretty much every existent one.

“No, seriously, cat got your tongues?” he asked again.

Lucifer gave a look at Alec, as if they shared a joke, but the Lightwood just looked back at him, frowning and shaking his head. The Prince of Hell turned around like he was ready to leave, but he was just swearing again. He faced the others after a second, looking pretty upset.

“You guys are no fun to talk to!” he shouted in between two languages.

For a moment, they all looked at Lucifer as if he were crazy. They didn’t really understand the situation. Jace glanced at the others, lowering his sword and shrugging.

“What’s wrong with you, dude?” he asked, making Lucifer turn around.

“It speaks!” said the other, his long jacket flying behind him. “Good, that means you can hear me too, and I have a lot to say. Well, not much but enough to shake your fragile balance.”

Some of them looked around, but Alec, Alycia, and Rosya were among those who kept staring at Lucifer. He seemed to be all talks, and nothing more but they knew they had to be careful around him. No matter how colourful his clothes were, or how perfect his speech was, this guy was dangerous, and extremely powerful. Somehow, they suddenly all realised that the fact he created all the Downwolders wasn’t even at all surprising; he radiated with power. No matter what he was about to say, they had no way to be sure he spoke the truth.

“First of all, I am very glad to meet you all. You’re quite the talk everywhere, you know? The mighty New-York Institute that took down Lilith, and the whole Edom” he started, waving his hands around. “Also, Rosya, it’s nice to see you, sister.”

Lucifer stopped right there, observing everyone’s reaction, looking very happy. Of course, Rosya opened her eyes big, giving him a death stare -to which he replied with a wink. Slowly, all eyes turned to the vampire, but they didn’t exactly know what was going on. Before anyone could say anything, a portal opened and Magnus rushed through it, accompanied by Raphael. They didn’t seem to notice Lucifer’s presence. The Prince of Hell sighed, unhappy that someone would crash his show, but he didn’t say anything. The warlock ran towards Alec, pointing at Rosya.

“It’s her!” he simply said.

Alec wanted to look at him, but his eyes were locked on Lucifer and he was somehow terrified to look elsewhere.

“Magnus, we’re a bit busy at the moment…” he replied.

“She’s the Original Vampire.”

This time, Alec glared at him and followed his finger pointing at Rosya. The vampire took a step back before she realised it was useless, they wouldn’t do anything to her anyway; furthermore, her kind-of-brother was right in front of them, and he was much worse. They were all looking at her, but it didn’t last long. Eventually, Magnus realised they weren’t alone, and Lucifer was there. He turned around to face the Prince of Hell, looking disgusted.

“Lucifer?” he asked, getting closer to him. “I thought it reeked of narcissism.”

The attention of everyone went from Rosya to the warlock. They all feared it would piss off the Prince of Hell, but he burst out laughing. He even clapped his hands and tapped Magnus’ shoulder. It made everyone feel weird. He acted like they were old friends.

“Okay, we’ll talk about that later, honey” said Lucifer. “I got one more thing to say. Well, a few, but one that I’ve been waiting to say for some time now. It is a real pleasure, to see your pretty face again, Alycia.”

It didn’t take long before all faces turned to the French girl, as she was staring at Lucifer. At first, she looked extremely surprised, but her expression changed quickly, becoming clearly mad. She put her shuriken away and cracked her knuckles. Even Thomas, by her side, gave her a side look, he evidently had no idea what the demon was talking about.

“What the hell, Lucifer?” started Alycia, staying right where she was. “You’re compromising me, right now, did you know? That’s not a clever move” she asked, not daring to look at anyone else but him.

“Compromising you? Well, not enough in my opinion. Fortunately, I’ve got more prepared!” his eyes shifted between Alycia and Magnus. “I am curious, as to who’s quickest, you see. I have to test it. Also, it might expose you” finished the Prince of Hell, pointing at Alycia.

She took a step forward, but Lucifer already had a dagger in his hand. The others didn’t know whether to keep an eye on Rosya, Alycia or Lucifer. Suddenly, the Prince of Hell threw his weapon straight towards Alec. Magnus yelled, when he understood what was going on. He had no time to act, but fortunately, Alycia did. Without giving it a thought, she raised her hand and a magnetic wave sent the blade flying away from its supposed victim. When she realised what she had done, Alycia opened her mouth wide. They were all in awe, staring at her. Except for Thomas, who facepalmed.

“Oh, no” quietly said the French girl, unable to take her eyes off Alec.

“My job here is done. See you later, guys.”

No one paid attention to Lucifer disappearing. They were all too focused on the French girl. She was standing tall, looking surprised. She didn’t mean to do what she had done; her reflexes got the best of her. She didn’t even dare glaring at Thomas.

“You’re a…” wanted to say Magnus, but he couldn’t finish his sentence.

Alycia didn’t make a move, hoping that it would help them forget what had just happened. Unfortunately, they couldn’t ignore the fact that the girl wasn’t a simple Shadowhunter. Even though they weren’t able to wrap their minds around it at the moment, something was up. That story she was hiding started revealing itself. She would have wanted to wait, make it happen by choice. She hated Lucifer for what he had done. Still, it was maybe for the best.

“Well, this is awkward” said Thomas. “Guys, maybe we could ta-”

“Shut up” interrupted Alec.

The Inquisitor put his bow away. He placed his hands on his hips. Alycia eventually raised her eyes towards him. It saddened her to see how truly broken he looked; he had given her his trust and she had kept secret the fact that there was more to her than being a Shadowhunter. She never held back the fact that she had secrets, but no one expected it to be that big of a deal. The French girl decided to own it; she stood up straight, walking towards the Inquisitor to try telling him everything, but as she came closer, he took steps back. It wasn’t the time nor the place to face this. The situation was too complicated for tonight, that matter would be dealt with later on. There was but one thing Alec could do at the moment.

“Rosya Gorber, Alycia Cielli, Thomas Dumont, by authority of the Clave, I hereby place you under arrest. You will be led to the New-York Institute cells until your fate is decided.”

“Are you serious?” barked Thomas while Jace, Isabelle and Clary put handcuffs on them. “You can’t do that! I mean, Rosya you can arrest, she’s like the Original and all, but us? Alycia never did anything wrong here. Neither did I! We’ve always told you that we had secrets, you’ve always accepted us that way. Now you’re turning your back on us because she saved your sorry ass, are you serious? Call Lyon, they’ll tell you!” he kept on protesting.

“You would be smart not to question my authority right now” coldly replied Alec.

Rosya tried to protest as well, but nothing worked. The force combined of vampires, werewolves, Shadowhunters and Magnus couldn’t be beaten. Alycia didn’t even try, she relinquished herself to being arrested. She didn’t care much at that moment with Jace holding one of her tied arms, and Raphael the other; the first one looked sorry whereas the second seemed suspicious. The girl glanced at Magnus and Alec: while the warlock was opening a portal straight to the Institute’s prison and his husband was turning his back on her. She dropped her eyes on the floor, ready to be taken anywhere they wanted to take her. Nothing mattered, she wasn’t in control anymore.


	11. Chapter Eleven.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some truth had to be told.

As soon as they arrived at the Institute, Rosya was put in one cell; while Thomas was put in another with Alycia. Not that they hadn’t enough jail rooms; but having them together would be better for questioning. Also, Alec might have been mad, but he didn’t have the heart to leave Alycia alone. He hated the fact that he didn’t actually know half of who she was; he hated the fact that she had so many secrets to hide from them all; he hated the fact that he trusted her so easily even without knowing her. He knew he could trust her, he felt it in his bones, but with everything that had happened, he had to be careful. He paced in front of the glass, everyone else waiting behind him. They were annoyed that Alec was just walking around, instead of interrogating the prisoners. As she grew tired, Isabelle grabbed her brother, forcing him to stop and she pointed at the cell. Alycia was just standing, looking at Alec; while Thomas was lying on the one bed.

“There’s no point ignoring us, Alec. We’re not going away” asserted Alycia.

“Don’t you talk to me.”

The tone he used hurt the girl, but she tried to disguise it. She didn’t lower her eyes, she rolled them; she wanted to appear strong, ignore the guilt and sadness in her. She had always been honest and didn’t have anything to feel bad about. Her secrets were her own. Jace made his brother take a few steps back and stood in front of the prisoners.

“So, who are you?” he asked, shrugging.

Jace wasn’t the kind of guy to love people, apart from his family and Clary, he didn’t care much about people personally. However, he didn’t like seeing anyone in that position. He knew very well that Thomas and Alycia didn’t actually deserve to be here. The worse things they had done was probably telling lies. Lying was a terrible thing to do, especially to people that cared for them, but it was no crime; Jace was well aware of that, just like everybody else.

“You know who we are!” yelped Thomas from his bed, annoyed.

“I am Alycia Cielli, Shadowhunter sent from the Lyon Institute, and this is Thomas Dumont, my Parabatai” answered the girl anyway.

“Look, Alycia, you got to help us here. We don’t want you to go to Idris, okay?” continued Jace on a softer tone.

“Well, that remains to be seen” protested Raphael, from behind.

“Not helping” replied Simon.

Alycia stared at Raphael for a while before taking a deep breath. Thomas knew what this meant, and he stood up, coming next to her as to warn her. She gave him a reassuring look and nodded. He rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. If she were going to be honest, he had to stand by her no matter what, that was his role as her Parabatai, and best friend. He decided it better to sat back.

“Alright, then. You want it, you’ll have it. You need to trust me, and to do so I will answer one question from each of you. Bring the Soul-Sword, that way you’ll know I can’t possibly be lying. Is that okay with you?”

Jace nodded and looked at the others. Isabelle turned towards her brother, frowning. She got closer to him and whispered so no one else could hear.

“How did you know?” she questioned. “How could you possibly know she was going to ask for the Sword?”

“I didn’t, it seemed clever to have something forcing them to tell the truth.”

“Good point.”

They both went to Isabelle’s office where the Sword was and came back as fast as they could to the cells. However, just before joining everyone, Isabelle grabbed her brother’s arm to stop him. He turned around, unsure. He didn’t understand what she was doing. Isabelle looked torn up, she was playing with her hair nervously.

“What is it?” questioned Alec, eager to go back to the cells.

“Look, I get why you feel the way you feel, but… she did save your life back there” she started, making Alec frown. “You’re being harsh on them, but you were the first one to trust Alycia…”

“It was a mistake” protested her brother.

“What if it wasn’t?! You didn’t know her any better back then, and you literally ordered us to trust her. Why?” insisted the Head of the Institute.

Alec opened his mouth to answer, but he shrugged. He didn’t know what to say. Thinking about it, he had no reason to trust her, he just did.

“I felt something familiar with her. I don’t know, but I’m never following my instincts again. They’re stupid.”

He left his sister hanging, visibly unhappy with the turn the conversation had taken. Pissed, she followed him, staring as he carefully put the Sword into the cell. Alycia and Thomas politely waited on the other side as long as it took for Alec to go back out. Then, the girl went to take the Instrument, holding it as she faced her colleagues. The Sword was resting on her hands, glowing.

“Ask away” she said. “Remember, I agreed to one question per person, be sure of what you ask.”

They all looked at each other, no sure who should question her first. Clary stepped forward, glancing at Alec to make sure it was alright for her to go first. The Inquisitor nodded, and the red-haired stared at Alycia, who was waiting with the Sword in her hands.

“Lucifer knew you. When did you meet him?”

Alycia couldn’t hold a scoff back. She regained her balanced and looked at the ceiling. She could feel Thomas behind her, carefully listening to what she was about to say. He didn’t have the answer to that question, and he didn’t like that.

“You make it sound like we’re friends. I met him like seven months ago. I had been looking for him for years, and he finally accepted to show up, someday. I had so many questions to ask him. You have to understand, he didn’t reply to many of them, but he raised some others.”

They were all listening, craving to know the rest of the story she had to tell. Jace came forward, next to his girlfriend, crossing arms.

“Are you a warlock, or a Shadowhunter?” he asked, shaking his head.

“I am both” replied Alycia, sighing. “I can be a Shadowhunter, I can be a warlock, I can use my magic and my runes simultaneously. I can make my runes disappear.”

No one seemed satisfied with that answer. Jace wanted to question the girl more but Clary put her hand on his arm to remind him of the one-question-per-person rule. He nodded and waited for someone else to take over. Isabelle came forward, giving a look at his brother before asking her question.

“How can you be half?”

“Well you see, my mother was a Shadowhunter and my father is a warlock…” Alycia started, making Thomas scoff behind her.

“That’s not possible!” interrupted Magnus. “Warlocks cannot have children, darling.”

Alycia’s face, that had been crisped, sad and tired until now cracked up in a smile. She humected her lips and nodded. Thomas kept on mocking the situation behind the girl, almost loving it.

“My mother, she was a very creative woman, and she was a visionary. She had a friend, with whom she created a serum to make a warlock… fertile or something, for one night. Plus, said warlock wouldn’t remember a thing from the moment he took the serum, until the effects wore off. She got pregnant, luckily, with one try.”

“That’s how you became half warlock, really?” asked Simon, amused. “That doesn’t sound too complicated!”

“Actually, no” replied Alycia.

“The fun begins!” laughed Thomas, annoyingly amused. “Sorry, I know that story, it’s going to be awkward and very funny.”

“Thomas, please” said his Parabatai, making his laughing stop. “The warlock gave to my blood the possibility to become one myself, but something was needed to… ‘activate’ the gene if you will. I mean, warlocks are all born from demons.”

“Lucifer, I’m guessing” suggested Alec, speaking for the first time.

Alycia lost her smile, staring at the Inquisitor and nodding. She lowered her eyes. There was something of an accusation in the Inquisitor’s voice. As if it were worse than bad to have Lucifer’s blood in her system. However, it wasn’t exactly as if she had a say in this. She didn’t want to have that; she didn’t ask for it.

“As I said to you before, Lucifer’s blood has the power to highlight a peculiar part of our DNA, and mine was warlock. I was injected with his blood while in my mother’s womb. That’s how I was born half warlock. It was never my choice.”

“So, like, Lucifer is your father?” questioned Maia, disgusted.

“No, Lucifer is my blood giver and the maker of the warlock-y me.”

“Who’s your father, then?” asked Magnus, puzzled.

Alycia turned around to glanced at Thomas. The boy was still grinning, amused by everything. That story he had heard before, he had never thought he would hear it again, especially not in that kind of situation. Not that they had never been locked up before, but that was a first. He sighed, waiting for his Parabatai to talk. She faced the others once again, ready to get into it.

“Tricky question, actually. That’s where I’m going to lose you all” she warned, getting ready to tell her story. “My mother’s husband raised me until he died. Then, when I was eight, my brother sent me to France, so he wouldn’t have me in his life and-”

“That’s not what I asked” protested Magnus. “I’m curious to know who’s your biological father, not about your life. That was my question, which you’re bound to answer.”

Alycia stared at the warlock. He was right, she had accepted to respond to one question per person, and the Sword in her hands started to get warmed. It forced her to respect her promise. It would hurt her until she spoke. She wouldn’t be able to hold it back.

“Okay, then, Magnus Bane.”

“Yes?” said the warlock.

“No, you idiot” started Thomas, still laughing. “That’s her father’s name. Magnus Bane is her father, ergo you are her father.”

“That’s highly impossible” commented Magnus, looking around. “I think I would know.”

Alycia, still holding the Sword, looked down at it before glancing at Thomas. He was sitting on the bed, smiling annoyingly; he waved at her. He was getting tired of this situation. They wanted them to lay the truth on them, they wanted to hear the story; but they weren’t listening. Both French Shadowhunters had experience with dealing with this, they knew getting others to trust them came with difficulties. Thing were never exactly smooth.

“Dude, she’s literally carrying the truth instrument or whatever” commented Thomas, pointing at the Soul-Sword. “She literally cannot lie.”

Magnus knew that, he was staring at the Sword, holding Alec’s arm. Everyone seemed puzzled. This information sounded astonishingly weird. They hadn’t expected that to happen.

“How did you know he was your father, anyway?” asked Luke from behind.

“When I was fifteen, I went back to where I used to live, and found my mother’s diaries. She wrote everything in it.”

“What’s your mark?” wondered Raphael, leaning against the wall.

Alycia looked at him and got speechless for a second. She should have known that question was going to be asked. She didn’t really want to show everyone here since it was somehow personal.

“You cannot ask me that” she said, somehow unsure.

“I am asking. Show us, warlock” added Alec, his arms still crossed, Magnus by his side.

She couldn’t say no, now. She had promised herself to never lie to Alec and hiding things from him had already cost her so much, she couldn’t do it anymore. Alycia sighed and put down the Sword, holding it by the pommel, uncovering her arms. She closed her eyes, she had no need to focus, it was natural for her. Slowly, the runes drawn on her skin disappeared and were replaced by black lines. It looked like a child’s doodle, the lines were running all over her hands, and arms. They didn’t seem to have any signification, but they were almost covering all her skin. When she lifted her eyes, Alycia caught Rosya’s stare on her. Seeing the vampire looking at her this way took her out of state, and she shook her hands to make her mark disappear. Her runes came back.

“That’s it?” asked Simon, disappointed. “It’s weird.”

“It’s growing” whispered Alycia, looking annoyed. “When I was young, it was on my palms, and then it grew on my fingers, and all of my hand, front and back. Now, it’s covering my whole arm, almost to my shoulder. I have no idea why, or how, nor even what it means, but it seems that the more powerful I get, the more they grow.”

No one talked. They didn’t know what to say. Magnus came closer to the glass, ignoring Alec’s warnings. He opened his cat’s eyes on Alycia. Thomas got really surprised, he had never seen him like this. He was in awe, even after Magnus gave him a death stare; Thomas glanced at Alycia. The warlock didn’t say anything; however, the girl understood what he wanted. She took a deep breath before making her runes disappear again, showing her own mark. He wanted to check it out, give it a closer look, but behind the glass was as close as he could be at the moment. He stared at her arms for a while before turning around, shrugging.

“I have no idea what to say, I have never seen something quite like that.”

Alec nodded. He gave a look around before sighing.

“Okay, we have no more questions.”

“Wait, I have something to say” required Alycia, getting her runes back. “Let me tell you how it all went down in my life, there’s nothing much to say, but I feel like you need to hear it, please? It’s the first part of the story” she begged, looking at Alec and waiting for him to nod in agreement, which he did. “My mother was different. She wanted peace and equality for the whole Shadow World, she wanted unity. She decided to be the one bringing it, by having a baby that would be half Shadowhunter, half Downworlder. She noted in her diaries that the reason why she picked warlocks was because they were the scariest to her.”

Alycia took a second, smiling, trying to keep her balance. She ignored Thomas’ stare in her back. He didn’t know what she was about to say, where that ‘part one’ of their story would stop. He didn’t want her to reveal too much. On the other hand, they were already locked up, and they wouldn’t be killed or sentenced for the truth. Especially since the Clave already knew everything. Pretty much.

“She had a friend helping her out with the serum. She never mentioned a name or race, but I’m pretty sure it was the Seelie Queen. So, she went to find Magnus, convinced him to help her, gave him the serum, had me. I have no idea how she contacted Lucifer, but she did, and she also convinced him to give her some of his blood to make me. I’m guessing she was an intense woman.  
“I never knew her, though. She died giving birth to me. I was told my brother used to be just like her, until the day I was born. At that very moment, he lost his mother too, and decided that Downworlders were the worst creatures ever, and they should all get killed. I’m guessing it’s a speech you’ve heard before. I got close to my dad, well he wasn’t really my dad, but we got close anyway. He died when I was eight, and my brother, who claimed to love me, sent me to France, with a letter, stating that I was never a part of this family, my mom had cheated on his dad, and I was just an experiment gone wrong. The Paris Institute decided to change my name to Cielli, then. I couldn’t really go with my old family name, since I wasn’t exactly a Morgenstern.”

She stopped right there in her tale. Her audience looked shocked. Alycia had just told everyone she was related to Valentine. All stared at her for some time before looking at Clary, who was certainly the most surprised.

“Wait, what?” she asked.

“Valentine Morgenstern was my brother. Anyway, as I said, I was in Paris, and I went to find my mother’s diaries when I was fifteen. At some point, Thomas became my Parabatai, we went to Lyon together, a few other stuff happened; in the mean-time I kept on with my researches, I found a few answers, raised another few questions, then I met Lucifer and I came here, to try and find my family.”

They were all thinking about it. Everyone seemed bothered by her life story. She had been keeping all of that from them for months. Hearing it all at once was a lot to take in for them. Thomas was standing behind the girl; he hadn’t spoken a word. He was holding back. In the meantime, Alycia was playing with the Soul-Sword.

“You told me you would follow my lead, no matter what. That was only because I’m Magnus’ husband?” wondered Alec.

“No!” replied Alycia, ignoring the fact that she had already answered a question of his before. “I didn’t. I said I would stay there and be by your side because I believe you work hard for the things you think are right, and you’re not usually wrong. Except for now, putting me in jail and all, you know. I’m not following you because you’re Magnus’ husband, that title doesn’t mean everything to me; for instance, I wouldn’t have followed Jace, were he his husband.”

Jace looked extremely offended. Alec couldn’t help but smile, along with Maia, Luke, Simon, Isabelle and Clary. Alycia scoffed nervously while Thomas gave her an offended look for some reason.

“I hate that Sword” she said before putting it down again.

The tension was fading, which was gladly welcomed by everyone. At least a few of them smiled, it couldn’t be all bad.

“Alright, leave it next to the door, I’ll be taking it back” said Alec, serious all over again. “Thomas and you will stay here until I discuss with Lyon.”

The punishment seemed hard, but since the Inquisitor had given his orders, no one protested. Alycia did as she had been told and left the Sword by the door for Alec to get it back. He took it quickly, not willing to spend too much time close to them. Before heading towards the other occupied cell, he turned on the soundproof system, leaving Alycia and Thomas on their own, talking together.

“We’re not letting them go?” asked Isabelle, quite rattled.

“No. Not yet. Right now, I want to ask questions to Rosya” he said turning off the system so she could hear him. He faced the vampire, looking straight at her. “You’re the Original Vampire?”

She grinned at him, looking almost amused to be there again. She pouted, obviously having fun.

“I am, yes. Sorry you had to find out. My life is usually much better when no one knows” she replied with a crocked smile.

“Can you reverse the Vampire thing?” continues Alec, ignoring her sarcasm.

“I can. Oh, but not for you friend right there” answered Rosya, pointing at Raphael. “I can never undo what Lucifer does; you see, he has his own thing, only himself can change that.”

They all sighed. Maia and Raphael left right after that. Clary, Jace and Simon followed them. Isabelle gave a look at Luke, and they both left as well. If Rosya cared to be helpful, she would have already said something. It didn’t look like she would. However, the Inquisitor was persistent.

“Where can we find him?” asked Alec.

“Are you kidding? You have his daughter. Well, not his daughter but his blood anyway. She’ll do anything for you, can’t you see? You’re like the only family she has, now. The only thing she cares about. I don’t know her all that much, but I’ll go ahead and say she’s a keeper.”

Magnus turned around to look at Alycia, who was staring at Rosya for some reason, shaking her head. It was like the two were in a battle as to who was better than the other. The warlock turned back to face the vampire. There was one thing he was sure of, though. How, he didn’t know, but he could feel the it in his whole being.

“Don’t call her Lucifer’s daughter” warned Magnus, getting close to the glass to mute her. “She’s mine.”

He wasn’t all that sure he wanted to assert it that strongly, but if he had to live with it, the least he could do was to own it. He left, Alec by his side.


End file.
